


The Gem Cesarl: Book Two

by AmethystCesarl



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 14:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 62
Words: 48,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20508860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystCesarl/pseuds/AmethystCesarl
Summary: Despite moving on from her depression, Amethyst and her new unlikely love interest encounter dilemmas beyond their control. With the emergence of Homeworld's sinister scheme and the return of one of her past victims with a twisted change of heart, Amethyst finds herself in over her head, realizing that even with love, she will never be safe from the backlash of her unforgivable mistakes.





	1. Ambush

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second installment of The Gem Cesarl. While this may not be nearly as dark as the first book, it's still fair that I should warn you that you probably shouldn't read it if you are going through a dark time in your life. If you are, I hope you get better soon. If I did, then you can too.

I smile as Eyeball and I hold hands, taking a stroll down the fields in the bright morning sunlight. Birds chirp as leaves fly off from their branches. "Looks like the fall season is coming up soon. I guess the holidays aren't that far now."

I can't contain my excitement. I blush. "Yeah. So what are you gonna do now?" Eyeball raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I close my eyes and I snicker. "Don't you have orders to take care of from Homeworld?"

Eyeball smirks. "Why would I ever want to go home if you are here on Earth?" I chuckle. "And seriously, you know I don't want to go back to Homeworld and I never will."  
"Is it because you care about me or something?"

She blushes. "May...be."  
"I wonder. Could we be friends or something?" Eyeball laughs as she shoves me. "Don't tease me with the friend zone garbage, Ame!" I get up. "Is it because we kissed or something?"

She giggles. "Perhaps." I contemplate the whole thing. "Let's see...I kissed you...twice."  
"And I kissed you...once." She looks over at me with her eyes narrowing. "I'm so going to even that out! Come here!"

She grabs me and she hoists me up into her arms. We laugh as we tear up in joy. I try to lean in first but she puts a hand to my mouth. "Nah ah ah! Sorry. This is my point." She removes her hand as she crashes down into me.

We hold the kiss. And then we kiss again. We make out as something rustles in the bushes. Eh. Probably just an animal. A squirrel or something. She slides a hand gently up and down my back as I do the same with hers.

Everything just seems so perfect. It's like nothing back then matters anymore. Yes, I did just shatter Peridot and I may have set the barn on fire. Oh wait! That wasn't me! Everyone else may think that. But I know it's not true.

Why even worry? As long as I have Eyeball, things just might be alright. Suddenly, I crash into the ground. "GOTCHA!"  
"HEY!"  
"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!" 

I open my eyes as I turn my head around. "Miss me?" I gasp. "YOU?!" She grabs me by the arm and she pulls me away. I struggle to break out of her grip as I notice Eyeball getting dragged away by two other Rubies. "GUYS! LET GO OF ME!"

We struggle and writhe against their grips as one last Ruby steps into view. "DOC?!"  
"Well...well...well. Long time no see, eh?" She's now wearing a cloak to go along with her uniform. 

"I want to thank you for giving me this upgrade to my appearance."  
"You can't wear that! That's only for a elite!" Doc chuckles. "But I am an elite. I am the commanding Ruby am I not?!" Eyeball gulps. 

"Which means that I have power over you." Doc steps up to her. "You may have beaten me down and you may have delayed our search. BY A WEEK! MAYBE LONGER!" She spits at Eyeball's cheek. 

"And for that, a clod like you is going under deep water. You've messed with me and my plans for the last time." She whips out her destabilizer from her cloak. "I'm taking you to your Diamond and you will be tried for your crime!" 

"Leave her alone!" Doc turns around to face me. Her teeth emerge into her twisted smile. "Amethyst." She steps away from Eyeball with the destabilizer towards me. "You made her turn against me. You turned her into A CRYSTAL GEM!"

She holds the destabilizer up to my neck. "Or are you even that anymore?" I glare at her. "Seems to me that you've betrayed your own team. Because I see no one coming to save you. What did you do while I was gone? Or were you always alone?" 

I grit my teeth. "I'm never alone."  
"Oh really?"  
"I carry a demon inside me twenty-four seven."  
"Why?"  
"Because I have to."  
"And why do you have to?" 

"Because..." I can't finish my response. I don't know what to say to her. "Oh. I see. You're lying." She smirks. "I saw what you did just now by the way. It appears that Eyeball got herself a girlfriend." 

The Rubies laugh as Eyeball looks away. "I mean a Ruby and a Quartz! Oh. I'm sorry. A defective Quartz!" I tear up. "What a disgrace." Doc retracts her destabilizer and she grabs my neck. 

She squeezes and I start coughing and gagging. "You are just so desperate aren't you? You don't know anything about her! And weren't you with those Gems the day we played baseball?"

"Yeah! So?!"  
"So?! Why aren't you with them? Did you get kicked out or something?" I keep my mouth shut. "How sad." She lets go and she walks away. "Now then..." She takes out a diamond and I gasp. 

"I kept this for emergencies only." She grabs the top. "I'm going to give you two a choice to either come along quietly or I'm going to have to consult Yellow Diamond. Then you're REALLY going to be in trouble. So what will it be?"


	2. Stripped

Doc grins as she starts to turn the top. "You have five seconds. Five..." I look over at Eyeball. "Four..."   
"What do we do?!"   
"Three..." Eyeball doesn't respond. She just watches the scene play with disbelief and fear in her eyes.

"Two..."   
"Eyeball?!"   
"ONE!"   
"OKAY! YOU WIN!" I sob. "WE GIVE UP! WE'LL GO TO HOMEWORLD AS YOUR PRISONERS!" Doc stops. 

She turns the diamond the other way until it snaps before putting it back into her cloak. "I thought so." She walks up to me. "Now you're going to let me check you for anything potentially dangerous or threatening." 

She smirks. "Remove your clothes." "WHAT?! EXCUSE ME?!" Doc takes out the Diamond Communicator again. She taps it with her finger, reminding me of the warning she's giving us. 

As much as I really don't want to do it again, we can't let the Diamonds find out about what's going on here at the barn. Or me. "Go on! Do it!" I grit my teeth and I blush. "YOU PIECE OF DIRT!" She slaps me across the face and she whips out the destabilizer. 

"No...more...games. Do it now or there's going to be Diamonds to pay."  
I take off my gloves. "Hmph!" She glares at me. "Come on! I don't want a tease! Take off the shirt!" I shake my head as I take off the shoes. I put them down with my gloves. 

"Oh. You weren't wearing any socks or something?" She stares down at my bare feet, enjoying the disturbing situation that I have to deal with. Four Rubies, including Eyeball, watching with prying eyes to see my natural body. Such creeps.

However, Eyeball is actually tensing up. She looks down and she blushes as Doc urges for me to take off something else. I slip off the coat next and I start to feel a bit exposed and insecure.

I start tensing up. I don't have a bra or any underwear. This is the one time that I wish I had those. Curse my poor choice of wardrobe! I look down at my shirt and I blush. Once this comes off, there's going to be trouble.

I grit my teeth. "Isn't this enough?!" She smirks. "No. Take off the shirt or the pants." I close my eyes and I take off the shirt as I pull it up and off my body. I tear up and blush as I hear the Rubies snicker.

I open my eyes. I notice that Eyeball is turning her head the other way. Thanks, Eyeball. Doc's eyes light up as she stares at my chest. "Now that looks sexy." 

I wince as she takes a step forward. I try to cover myself up with my hands. "And least but not least..." She points at the pants. "Le pants." She chuckles and then she laughs. Tears stream down my eyes as I grab the rims of my pants before I slide them down.

I slip my feet out of them and I kick them to the side. Here I am, completely exposed to anyone in sight. Doc and the other Rubies howl with laughter as they point at me. They facepalm or slap their knees. 

The two holding Eyeball exchange looks and they let go of her. Eyeball completely turns away, body and all, pulling at her hair. She shakes as she rocks back and forth. I know exactly what she is thinking right now.

She's angry. She's angry at both them and herself. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have had the urge to step up to Doc and save her. Eyeball stands up. Her hands curl into fists. She pulls out her chisel from her gem.

None of the Rubies notice what's going on, thanks to the forced exposure of my natural body. They are still mesmorized by me. None of the Rubies even seem to care about anything else.

Laugh now, Rubies. Because Eyeball is so going to kick your butts for this. You're going to wish that you were never made. Suddenly, Eyeball strikes the chisel into Doc's back. She doesn't look away to look at me.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Finally, the Rubies stop and they all focus their attention on her. I take this time to start putting my clothes back on. Doc poofs, retreating back into her gem. Then everything goes silent as it lands on the grass.


	3. Retaliation

Eyeball holds the chisel in her hand as the other Rubies glare at her. "I can't believe you guys! How dare you make her pull a stunt like that! How would you feel if I did that to you, huh?!" I slip my pants back on first.

"It isn't right! And it shouldn't happen again! Not like that! Doc may be your commanding leader, but it was your choice to either laugh or look away. But you all just stared and laughed like a bunch of clods!" I pull my shirt over my head and I exhale in relief.

"And now, you're all going to pay for it." She strikes at a random Ruby. She pulls out her own chisel and the two parry each other's blows. The Ruby with the gem on her naval battles Eyeball as I pull out my whip. "Thanks."

I lash out at the Ruby with the gem on her arm. She ducks as she summons her arm plate. She charges towards me with a scream. I zap at her...but she deflects it back with her arm plate. I gasp as she lunges into me.

"Round two!" She punches my face a few times while I punch hers. She then slams her arm plate into my cheek. I zap her as it crashes down into me again. The Ruby reels back and I laugh.

"Now it is my turn to laugh at you. I'll have to admit though, you don't have that bad of an arm-y!" She growls and she charges towards me again. I run away from her to help Eyeball take care of her Ruby.

I lash out at her as she parries another blow. I strike her face, making her reel back and stumble. Eyeball strikes at her gem and she poofs with a gasp. We turn around as Army...heh. That's actually a good name for her.

Army lunges at me...but Eyeball takes the hit instead. They crash into the ground together and I start to charge up my energy. They each exchange punches until I finally spark up my hand. I punch Army directly in the back and she poofs.

"Is that all of them?" We turn around to see one final Ruby picking up Doc's gem. She then runs to grab Army's. "Hey! Get back here!" She gasps. She quickly swipes the last gem and she takes off.

"Should we go after her?"   
"Is there a reason not too?! Come on!" We start running after her. I start lashing out at her. She runs in different directions to avoid our attacks. 

She pants as she holds the gems of her fallen team members, running for dear life. She doesn't look back at us. She just keeps running without stopping. We see the barn and Eyeball gasps. "Oh no. If she reaches the barn, we're done for!"   
"Why?" 

"IT'S THE SHIP, AMETHYST!"  
"Oh."   
"We can't let her get away! If she does, she's going to warn Homeworld. Not to mention, the Diamonds. Also, I'm really getting tired of fighting with these guys. I just want to shatter them now."

The word. Shatter. She said it so casually like it didn't even phase her at all. Flashes of me shattering Pearl and then Peridot hit home. I laugh in the flashes as the pupil of my right eye constricts.

I scream as I collapse. Eyeball slows down to look back at me. "Amethyst!" She runs towards me as the Ruby gets away. Eyeball helps me up and she holds me steady. "Amethyst, are you okay?!" I close my eyes as I press a hand to my forehead. I tear up. 

"It keeps coming back."   
"What?"   
"The flashes. The memories. The mistakes." Suddenly, an engine roars to life nearby. Eyeball turns around. "THE SHIP!" She screams as the Roaming Eye hovers in the sky for a moment.

"No." It takes off and it dissapears out of sight. Eyeball gets up and growls. "Eyeball?" She stomps the ground. "Are you okay?" She immediately turns around, her eye bulging. "WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?!"

I wince. "THANKS TO YOU, THAT DANG RUBY GOT AWAY! NOW SHE'S GOING TO REVIVE HER PLATOON AND SHE'S GOING TO CONTACT THE DIAMOND AUTHORITY! AND YOU DID ALL OF THAT..." Her voice shakes as she rages. 

"YOU JUST STRIPPED...FOR NOTHING! AND THEY GOT AWAY! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" I cover my mouth as tears stream down my eyes. Eyeball immediately notices. "Amethyst, I'm sorry!" I shove her down and I run away.


	4. Warnings

I am in the barn. But I am not crying or tearing up. I'm just thinking about everything that has happened. It has been about a week since I fought Holo Pearl in the fields down by the lake. I've caused so many bad things to happen.

However, this is the first time in which I don't feel like hurting myself. Maybe it's because nothing bad has happened to me in a while. Maybe it's because I got rid of the source of my problems.

Or could it be Eyeball herself? The past few days have been the best that I've had in a very long time. It's funny how in the past, I played a baseball game to get rid of this Gem and now I'm love with her.

Well, we're both in love with each other really. The night I shattered Peridot after having a drink with her. The night in which I heard Eyeball's tragic backstory. The night I nearly died due to the wish of getting killed. It changed everything.

After that night, Eyeball stayed by my side. We didn't let each other go. We kept holding hands one day as if we were fused. But we can't actually do that since I'm technically half-corrupted.

But it was nice. I loved every minute of it. It's weird. It's just really weird. Looking back at how everything came to be, it's funny. I don't know. Maybe things will be alright. I just need to talk to Eyeball and-!

"Amethyst."   
"Well just in time-!" My eyes widen as I gasp. "The Ruby ship is gone. Yet everyone is still here. So what happened to the ship?" Ruby approaches me with her arms folded.  
I gulp. 

"Do you know what happened to the Rubies?"  
"THE RUBIES ARE GONE?! THEY TOOK THE SHIP?!" Ruby collapses in front of me. Her voice is muffled in the wood. "Why is this still happening?" I pat her back and she looks up. 

She growls and she lashes out at me by swiping her hand against my face. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" She blushes and she covers her face. "Just look at what you've done. Sapphire hates me and you've united our worst enemies with our closest friends and family."

"But they're getting along. What's wrong with that?" Ruby pins me against the wall. "Listen Amethyst, we were the Crystal Gems and now that we're no longer the Crystal Gems, what are we?!"

"Uh...the uh...Barn Mate Gems?" Ruby facepalms, squinting her eyes. "Oh my stars. Amethyst, if we don't get our act together soon, there could be a second Gem War!" I raise my eyebrow. "But it's just us. Why do we need to start another war?"

"We are not going to start another war. This time, Homeworld is coming for us! I mean, you stole Jasper from them along with Peridot who is now shattered and your actions are becoming more and more noticeable to them. They are watching our every move."

"What?"  
"Don't you remember anything? Haven't you've heard of the time in which the Diamonds once took over this planet? There could still be some uncharted territory marked by Homeworld that was never discovered by anyone."

"So you mean there could be like other Gems here other than us that are still working with Homeworld to this very day?" Ruby smirks. "Well, it's about time you got that pathetic head of yours to reality."

She gets off of me and she looks outside. "Amethyst, I have one final question for you. This is very important. Did the Rubies have a Diamond Communicator like the one Peridot had with them?" My lips quiver and my eyes look away from her.

My forehead sweats as a nervous chuckle escapes from my mouth. "Heh heh heh. Maybe they did." Ruby is already running away. She doesn't look back at me. I guess my face already gave her the message. I get up from the ground.

"WE ARE GOING TO BE AT WAR AGAIN SOON AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" I fold my arms as I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Okay. This is getting old." I groan. "Oh so help me. If Gem War II comes rolling over here, someone's gonna get it."

I pull out my whip. "But it's not going to be me." I grit my teeth as I stare into the night sky. "It's going to be you, universe." I grip my whip handle tighter as I glare. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me...one way or another."


	5. Shirts

I notice Eyeball walking up towards the barn. She groans as she presses a hand against her forehead. "Eyeball." She stops and she looks up within a few feet from where I'm standing. She smirks.

"Uh...what's with the whip, Amethyst? Are you settin' up for something?" I blush. "Uh...no. This is nothing." The whip dissapears as Eyeball walks up to me. "We should go inside. It's getting late." I smile. "Yeah."

We enter the barn and I close the door. "Lock it." I look back at her. She isn't smiling. "Why?"  
"Just do it, Amethyst." I raise an eyebrow at her before turning back to the door. I turn the lock until it snaps. "Okay. Now sit down."

I turn to face her. "Uh..."  
"Don't worry. It's just us. There's no one else here." I walk over to Eyeball and I sit down next to her. "Can you sit facing me?" I crawl up to her until we're face to face.

"Okay. Let's get comfortable."  
"What?"  
"Amethyst, it's going to get hot in here so..." She coughs. "Eyeball, are you okay?" She blushes. "I'm sorry. Can I just...uh..." She covers her face. "Oh geez. You're going to hate me for this."

"What is it?"  
"Can you just...remove your shirt for a bit?" I smirk. "Oh. I see. You didn't get to see me in my natural beauty when you had the chance and now you want a special private viewing?"

She clears her throat, her forehead sweating. "Y-Yeah. I'm sorry." I chuckle. "You know, you're getting a little hot yourself. How about you take off yours?"  
"Mine?"

"Yeah. Can't you do that?"  
"Well, our clothes are actually melded to our bodies. And somehow, yours isn't."  
"Oh no. You're not getting a peek without putting in your end of the bargain."

"But I'm serious! You can't take these off!" I fold my arms. "Is that so?"  
"Yeah, no Gem could do that."  
"Then how come I was able to do it?"  
"Maybe it's the fusion."  
"Eyeball, I swear! Don't make me-"

"But...uh..."  
"Did anyone even attempt to do it? Didn't the Rubies want to check BOTH of us? Eyeball, are you chicken?"  
I shapeshift into a chicken and I make clucking noises. Eyeball blushes as she laughs.

"Well, to be honest, it's really unclear as to if anyone even attempted to do it, strangely enough." I shapeshift back to my normal form and lean up to her face. "Then why don't you be the first?" I take off my coat. "Now it's your turn." She looks around. "Uh...I don't have that."

"Hmph! Eyeball, seriously, what's the holdup?" Her hands curl into fists as she stops smiling. "I'm sorry. It's just that...I've never been through this type of thing before. Yet, you seem as though you've done it your entire life."

I look down. "Oh. Well, I can help you. And don't worry. It's just the two of us. But after this, we're going to talk." She turns a darker shade of red and she nods. She takes a deep breath. "Okay." I move closer to her as I crawl up to her back.

I notice that there's no button or strap or anything to help take off the uniform. "Uh...hang on a second." No way. There really IS nothing. But my uniform before with the undershirt and the straps. Why?

Oh this is so ridiculous. I'm making such big deal out of THIS particular issue. Well, there is a way and Lapis said it herself. But could she do it? And Peridot? How did Peridot do it? Or was that even the case?

"Eyeball, do you know how to shapeshift?" Silence. "No. No Ruby has ever done it." I facepalm as I groan. I don't have time for this. "Well, you'll get your free share for tonight." I crawl back up to her and she smiles. "Don't worry. It'll be much more comfortable this time."

I close my eyes as I attempt to take off the shirt...but Eyeball stops me. "No. Let me do it." She gently places her hands on the sides of my shirt. I put my arms and hands in the air and she pulls the shirt off of my body. I then push my body up against hers.

Eyeball strokes my bare back as I moan quietly, smiling. I close my eyes to take in the pleasure of the massage. "Does that feel nice?"  
"Very."

"Listen, I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier after the Rubies got away. It's just...I'm worried that I'm going to lose you. They could send in reinforcements to tear us apart along with everyone else here."

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'll be okay. But if something bad happens, just remember that I love you and that I'll keep loving you until the very end." She sighs. "Same with me."


	6. Debate

We sit at a table that was set up before us for everyone to gather and talk about the pressing matters of our current situation. "Alright team. Yesterday, the Ruby platoon has escaped from their bubble and took off on their Roaming Eye."

Jasper narrows her eyes as she speaks. "Look, those Rubies had a Diamond Communicator with them that has the power to do nothing other than contact the Diamond Authority! It is to be assumed that my current Diamond, Yellow Diamond, has been called upon."

She gets up from her chair. "Which is why we need to take action and prepare ourselves for the absolute worst. Amethyst?" She points at me. "Yes, Jasper?" She points at Bismuth. "You're going with Bismuth-"

"Wha-"  
"To the Forge! Amethyst, I know you like your whips. But the Diamonds have everything at their disposal that can easily wipe out any weapon. However, the toughest of weapons are the ones that are fabricated."

Bismuth abruptly gets up from her chair. "Are you serious right now?!"  
Jasper glares over at Bismuth. "Jasper, Amethyst is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Just look at her. Does she not look like the most innocent of us Gems?!"

"Bismuth, you will take Amethyst to the Forge and you will make her a new weapon! This isn't up for debate!" Bismuth grits her teeth. "I won't do it!" Jasper summons her helmet. "That...is...final." Bismuth folds her arms.

"But what if I were to refuse to your demand, General?" Jasper walks up to Bismuth. She grabs Bismuth by the chest of her apron and she sends her to the ground. I attempt to get up from my chair to see what's going on.   
Eyeball puts her hand on my shoulder. 

"I don't think you should do that."  
"BISMUTH, YOU WILL BRING WILL BRING HER TO THE FORGE OR SO HELP ME, I WILL..." I cover my ears as I close my eyes. I see myself facing...Steven? Wait. What the heck just happened?

Steven, why are you in Rose's dress? What is-! I see flashes of myself getting hurt. I see a Pearl. And Eloc?! What is all of this?! This is too much!" I gasp as I open my eyes. I sit up and everyone stares at me.

I breathe heavily as I press a hand to my forehead. "Amethyst?" Jasper stares at me with Bismuth getting crushed in her arms. "You are going to the forge with her. However, since Bismuth won't take this job the easy way, I'm also coming with you guys."

Jasper lets go of Bismuth. She gets up from the ground, coughing. "Ugh! This is so ridiculous! How do you know she isn't the actual enemy here?" Jasper snaps her fingers. "That's enough. Don't worry, Amethyst." Jasper cracks her knuckles. 

"I'll make sure she doesn't step out of line during our journey." I nod. "Alright." I get up from my chair. "Hey, Amethyst?" I look over to my left. Eyeball gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Please be careful." I smile to her. "Thanks, I will."

Jasper and Bismuth start walking away. I run to catch up with them. Jasper stops for a minute to look back at Lapis and Eyeball. "You two can go train. If you don't feel like doing that, you could at least talk to each other for a while. We'll be back before sundown."

She turns back to our destination. "Let's go." We start walking again and Bismuth clears her throat. "Shouldn't we uh ask Amethyst what she would like before we get over there? It will get things done a lot faster." Jasper shakes her head.

"No, Bismuth. Amethyst needs to be given the chance to check out all of the possible options before choosing her weapon."  
"But, Jasper, Amethyst has been to the Forge before. Right, Amethyst?" I nod.

"To be honest, yes, but at the same time, I never actually checked out what's in store." Bismuth contemplates that for a moment as we keep walking. "Hmm...okay. I guess that makes sense."

"We're here, you two." Jasper steps onto the warp pad. She waits patiently as Bismuth steps up onto it next followed by myself. "Okay. To the Forge!" She chuckles. "Bismuth, let's go." She sighs before she warps us away to our destination.


	7. Build

We arrive on the warp pad near the Forge and Bismuth smiles. "Ah! Home sweet home! Let's go!" Bismuth motions us forward. "This is the home of the Crystal Gem armory back during the first Gem War. It would only make sense to get everything we need here than elsewhere."

"Yes. Amethyst, care to ask Bismuth some questions?" I raise my eyebrow. "Like what?" Jasper pats my back. "Anything about the tour." Jasper puts emphasis on the word "tour" to make Bismuth stop in her tracks. I hesitate for a moment.

Jasper snaps her fingers. "Keep going, Bismuth." She continues walking. "So Bismuth, what was the Gem War like for you?" Bismuth hesitates for a moment. "Well, the Gem War to me was a way to gather the freedom I've always wanted.

"Back then, I was a blacksmith here at this very location. I would always build things for Homeworld and their elites. Those uppercrusts had no idea how I really felt towards them. I wanted to get even with them but I didn't know how to.

"And then, one day, I met Rose Quartz. A beautiful, elegant soldier who just seemed like any other Gem that came right out of the ground. But she wasn't like them. She was different in her beliefs and her opinions. Her mental process was something that us Gems couldn't have had back then.

"So she came to me one day and she said "'Why would you want to keep building for them when you can start building for yourself?'" I didn't know how to respond to that because it was something I never thought of before. 

"So what did I want to build for myself? Weapons. Weapons that I can use to get even with the Diamonds. However, my anger towards Homeworld was so much, that I wanted to not only hurt them but end their existence as well. 

"So one night, I thought of a weapon that could instantly shatter a Gem. No such weapon existed back then. There was only a weapon that could destroy the physical form of one or many. I had to study Gems. 

"I had to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. So how did I do that? Well, I couldn't have spoken to the Diamonds about that. You can't talk to a Diamond. You can only say one thing to them and that is "'Yes, my Diamond.'" 

"The only exception to that is being a member of one of their Courts."  
"Which you weren't."  
"Of course I wasn't. So I had to ask Rose. She was a very loyal member of Pink Diamond's Court. She knows everything about a Gem.

"On that very same night I asked for her help, she said to me that she is planning to start a war with Homeworld. She said that she wanted freedom and equality for all Gems and the universe before them.

"So I said to her "'Why not? Just do it.'" Rose agreed to my suggestion on making weapons for her army. She wanted me to be her captian and I eagerly accepted her request. After the war finally started, I got to work. 

"Finally acquiring the information that I needed, I started making my blueprints. In the meantime, as promised, I outfitted the entire rebellion with every weapon they needed. Days passed as more and more Gems got shattered. 

"Our army was restless, but we were also growing weak in numbers. Time was running out for the Crystal Gems. Finally, once everything came together, I finally started building my own weapon. One that would soon make history.

"I gathered the materials that I needed and I worked out the kinks. I built some test dummies out of stone and I practiced using my weapon on them. It was ready to turn the tables on the Gem War to grant us victory! But it was not to be."

"Bismuth curls her hands into fists. "I wanted to show Rose the weapon. But when I showed her the demo test, she was reluctant and she seemed a bit shaky. "'Bismuth, we can't use this.'" I couldn't believe it. I was so sure that we were going to able to use that weapon. I didn't get it.

"'What? Why not, Rose?!'"  
"'Bismuth, this can make us look just as bad as Homeworld. It's just...not what a Crystal Gem would do."  
"'Rose, you know what a Crystal Gem does! We fight. And we fight for freedom and justice! If you won't allow this, I will.'"

"'NO! No one is using it!'" Rose took the weapon out of my grasp. "'I'm sorry, Bismuth. But it's not right.'" Things escalated into a fight. Rose's Sword versus my Breaking Point. In the end, Rose impaled me and I was bubbled away."


	8. Weapons

I stop behind her. "I'm sorry." She sniffs. "It was just...not how I wanted things to be. If only we were able to use that weapon, we could've won! I never asked to get bubbled! I-!"

"Bismuth?" Bismuth turns around to face us. She's tearing up. "We understand." She widens her eyes. "Y-You do?" I give her a sad smile. "Of course we do! In fact, you're not alone. Lapis was also trapped throughout the Gem War."

"You mean, in a mirror?"  
"Yeah, but she was trapped. Maybe you can talk to her to get over that issue. I know it may not seem that way, but we all have similar stories. We just don't know what's what until they are finally told."

Bismuth smiles and she wipes the tears from her eyes. "Well, I'll try. But in the meantime, let's get you a new weapon." We keep walking until we reach the entrance. "Stand back." Bismuth steps in front of us.

She holds her hands underneath her gem on her chest, exhaling. It glows as the gateway opens before us, creating a tunnel to the Forge. She turns back to us. "Well, there you go. Come on." Jasper stares in amazement. "Whoa."

She motions us forward and we start walking through the tunnel. Bismuth keeps her gem glowing as the tunnel grows dimmer with each step inside. "Okay. Here's the doorway." Bismuth holds us back as the doorway slides open by itself.

"Welcome to the Forge!" She walks over towards a pillar as Jasper and I look around. "See anything you like?"  
"No. It's kinda dark in here." Bismuth laughs as she shapeshifts her hand into a hammer. "Then let's turn up the heat shall we!"

"Uh...that's not what I meant."  
Bismuth slams her hammer down on the pillar. Suddenly, lava comes pouring down on her. Jasper gasps. "BISMUTH!" The lava illuminates the room, allowing me to see every weapon in store.

Bismuth emerges from the lava, snickering. "Jasper, did you seriously forget who we are?! We're Gems! We're lava resistant! You should try taking a lava bath too sometime!" Jasper turns away from her to guide me through the room.

"Alright, Amethyst. What type of weapon would you like?" I just realized why we are actually here. I was so absorbed in Bismuth's backstory that I got sidetracked from our actual mission. 

And now that we're finally here, I done know what to choose. "Hey. Why not choose a weapon that you feel the most comfortable using? Maybe one that will remind you of someone? Don't think too much about it. Just take your time. There's no rush."

I think back to everyone I once knew. I think back to my first love-interest, Pearl. I feel really bad for shattering her. I don't remember why I did it. Only how. However, maybe getting a weapon like hers will ease things up a bit.

But what did she have? If I remember correctly, she used a spear. But that is a Gem weapon and I highly doubt Bismuth can replicate one just like that one for me. But didn't she use another weapon as well?

I remember some of Pearl's old weapons being carried away from her waterfalls that lead directly down to my room. That's not enough. Maybe she used something on Holo Pearl-!

I see Pearl swinging a sword at Holo Pearl. She parries each incoming blow. This is the first time Pearl showed Steven REAL sword fighting...before she was impaled during training mode from Steven's distraction.

It was horrible now that I think about it. It was a slight scare to me in the past since I once hated her. But looking back at it now, it was actually horrific. I didn't impale her with a sword though. I zapped her and then-!

"Amethyst?!" I open my eyes. I look around. I groan as I sit up. "Are you okay? You just went stiff and you collapsed right here. "I'm sorry. I was thinking about something."

"Don't think too much about something, Amethyst. It can get you into serious trouble one of these days." I press a hand against my forehead. Jasper offers me a hand. I take it and she helps me up.

"So, have you decided what you wanted yet?" I remember the sword. However, I try not to think about Holo Pearl this time. I think about Pearl using the sword in the Gem War to take down the Homeworld Gems.

I think back to Peridot. However, she didn't have a weapon. So that is no help. Steven had a shield. But that is boring and I'm not really into weapons with a dull edge. Garnet, screw it. Eyeball has a chisel which appears to look like a knife.

Nope. Knives represent backstabbing. For the most part anyway. If I'm going to fight this war with a weapon other than my whips, then I will do it with the weapon that was once with her. With honor and respect, I will take the sword.


	9. Swords

I walk over to Bismuth as she gets everything set up to making the weapon of my choice. "Bismuth, I've chosen my weapon." Bismuth turns around to face me. "Oh yeah? What have you chosen?"

The weapon that I want is a similar replica of the one that Pearl had. She had many swords in her collection. If anything, I could just go to the temple to take one. However, there is no possible way of getting up there.

Pearl's room is blocked off by waterfalls and it is the room that's directly above mine by above a mile in height. My room is seriously that big. So I'll just go with whatever I remember.

"Can I have a sword?" Bismuth stares down at me, her mouth gaping. "A s-sword? Uh...okay. What type?" She's looking around, her voice is cracking and she appears to be shaking. I know exactly why though.

If I were to say Rose's sword or a pink sword, she would probably flip out on me. Luckily for her, that's not what I want. "Do you have a golden piece that connects with a leather handle and the sword itself?"

Bismuth smiles and she exhales. "Yes. I think I have that. Just hang on a second." She moves over to a set of pots to pick up some materials. She then squeezes them in her hand before thrusting it into the lava.

She then pulls it back out and she drops a single flat material down onto a table. She shapeshifts her hands. "Okay. Are you sure that's what you want?" I nod, eager to get the sword. I try to contain my excitement as Bismuth goes to work.

"Let's see. First, we make the sword itself." She hammers the piece until it's nice and long. She then rushes over to a cabinet. "You said that you wanted a golden piece, right?"  
"Yes."

"Alright." She searches through the cabinet until she draws her hand out with the piece. She then rushes back over to the sword and she carefully inserts the piece. She holds the sword up and she slides the piece on. "This has to sit for a minute."

I think back to a time in which Pearl has explained sword fighting to me. Of course, I did have many opportunities to confess to her after the day I attacked her at the Kindergarten.

Ever since that day, Pearl and I have been more like friends than we ever have been. It was really nice actually. One day, Pearl wanted to give me a private viewing to show what things were like on the battlefield during the Gem War.

"As you can see, Amethyst, my personal weapon of choice is the sword. It's the weapon of the servant and the protector of the master. You have to be brave, loyal, determined to never give up in the heat of battle to wield this sacred piece of history."

She proceeds to summon Holo Pearl. Oh no. Stop thinking about that! I quickly send myself back to reality. I feel a bit too hot right now. "Hmm...and over here should be the leather handle. That's generally what everyone wanted back during the war."

She carefully connects the piece with the handle. She forces it together as she stands still, careful not to mess up. "The sword works like this, Amethyst." I am sent back to the Ruins to see Pearl fighting her holographic opponent.

"You don't just flail it around like some sort of idiot. You hold it still. You don't strike first. You wait until your opponent takes that action. Then you strike! You block each action! Watch how one foot follows the other!" 

I watch in awe as Pearl combats the hologram. "Keep your stance wide and your body lowered! And as you're moving forward, balance is the key! Once you find an opening, you thrust your sword into your opponent and you claim victory!"

Pearl stands next to the hologram, smiling. She then turns to face me. "I don't think this is going to happen with you. But I hope that someday, you can also become one with your own sword. Then you can see what it's like to have such an experience."

She blushes. "It's just thrilling and so exciting." She looks back down at her sword and she frowns. "One day, there may even be a time in which all of that fun just...stops. When everything just stands still in a cold, dark, bleak atmosphere."

Her eyes well up with tears. "Nothing lasts forever. It's only just. There are things that can stop it. Things that can change all of that. We can't give in to that though." She summons a black scabbard and she slides the sword inside.

"I know how you feel about things. I know that you hate certain things about yourself." She turns to me and she walks up to me. "But with this, maybe, you can feel like you're more than just...worthless." She hugs me and she sobs quietly. I hug her back and I close my eyes.


	10. Passages

Bismuth turns to hand me the sword. "Well, here you go." I smile as I take the sword by the handle. I tear up as I carefully feel through the blade. I'm doing this for you, Pearl. Wherever you are.

The sword is a little thicker, but it's still the same sword. I can use this in battle and I can imagine her fighting alongside me. But then, what about Steven and Peridot? How do I get closure for those two?

The only way might be through killing Eloc. If he's fighting in this war, I'll be sure to end him first. He's going to pay for what he's done to me and my family. "Alright. Is that everything?" Bismuth looks over at Jasper. "You don't want anything?" 

Jasper turns to face her. "No thanks, Bismuth. I've got my helmet and an old Priming Gem Destabilizer with me. It's still good. Don't worry." Bismuth nods. "Alright. Let's turn off the lights and let's start heading back."

Jasper motions me forward. "Let's go, Amethyst." I follow Jasper to the door and the room goes dark. Bismuth runs up to me and she holds something out. "I almost forgot to give you the scabbard. Sorry about that." It's black just like Pearl's. "Thanks, Bismuth."

I sniff as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Bismuth opens the door and we start walking through the tunnel. Bismuth clears her throat, looking down at me. She sighs. "I can't believe I did all of that to you. I'm sorry that I hurt you and abused you during my stay. You didn't deserve it."

I pat Bismuth's back. "It's okay. I understand. I think I would be just as crazy as you if I was trapped in a bubble for that long." She chuckles.  
"Well, thanks for...you know. Getting me out of the bubble and such. It's just..." She frowns.

"So weird. All of this was caused by a demon?" I press a hand against my forehead. "Yeah, we don't know much about him sadly. All we know is that he wanted to shut down the Crystal Gem alliance."  
"And it's safe to assume that he was successful?"

"Well, yes and no. He tried to fuse with me and that ended up destroying his physical form. However, he did succeed in having me shatter Pearl, who I loved at the time." I glance down at the ground, blushing. "You loved Pearl? But, did she love you back?"

"Oh she loved me back alright. We kissed twice on the same day we made the confessions." Bismuth scratches the back of her neck. "Uh...okay." We exit the tunnel back outside to the green skies of the mountain.

Jasper takes the lead. "We need to head back to the warp pad, pronto." Bismuth and I exchange looks with each other. "What?" Jasper motions us forward. "How long have we been gone exactly?"  
"Well, I would say about a few hours."

I look up at Jasper. "Should we make a run for it?" Jasper shakes her head. "No, Amethyst. Only an idiot would run through these slopes and narrow passages. Especially blindly." Bismuth brushes past me to walk with Jasper.  
"Then let me guide you! Come on, Jasper."

Jasper contemplates on the request before letting herself step aside for Bismuth. Bismuth gives her a thumbs-up. "Alright, follow my lead." Jasper gives a rough pat on Bismuth's back and she puts her hand out. "Let's do it together." 

Bismuth blushes as she grabs a hold of Jasper's hand and they start walking, guiding each other through the passage. "Whoa! Watch out!"  
"Bismuth, watch where you're stepping! You're gonna-!"  
"WHOA WHOA!"

Bismuth nearly slips off of the slope. Jasper catches her hand and she helps her back up onto her feet. "Thanks, Jasper." Jasper looks down and she chuckles. "Yeah, you're welcome. But seriously though, I thought you said that you could guide me through this."

"Hey! I'm really tired and I just want to get you guys out safely." Jasper smirks. "Yeah, that's more like my job now, actually." Bismuth snickers. "For what? Saving me?"  
"Uh..." Jasper blushes. "Well, it's more like everyone, Bismuth."

Bismuth narrows her eyes with a slight curl forming in her lips. "Or is it me specifically?" I stop and I watch as Bismuth places a hand on Jasper's neck. Jasper's eyes shine as Bismuth brushes her fingers against her neck.

Suddenly, after a few moments of that, Jasper's eyes stop shining and she brushes off Bismuth's hand. "I'm sorry. I...can't." Jasper covers her face. "I don't want to hurt you too!" Bismuth's eyes widen as she notices her eyes watering.

Tears slip through her fingers and Bismuth gives a sad smile. "Jasper, it's okay. You're not going to hurt me. And I'm not going to hurt you."  
"You don't understand! The last time this happened...it was just...horrific! Bismuth, please. Stop. I don't want it anymore."


	11. Refusal

Bismuth is slightly taken aback. She nearly slips again...but she maintains her balance. I watch nearby as Bismuth tries to help Jasper through an issue that I am surprised she no longer wants to deal with.

"What?" Jasper looks away and she resumes walking back to the warp pad. "I'm not doing this. Never again." Apparently, all this time, Bismuth has had some crush over Jasper. Bismuth reaches out to Jasper, resulting in her hand getting smacked away.

"Leave me alone!" She looks down, curling her hands into fists as she storms away. Bismuth watches until Jasper is out of sight. She turns the left side of her face towards me. She's tearing up, gritting her teeth.

She wipes her tears and she takes a deep breath. I walk over to her as she exhales. "Oh. Amethyst." Bismuth looks away from me. We continue heading towards the warp pad. "I don't get. Do you? I mean, Jasper doesn't want to be loved anymore. Why?"

"Bismuth, what did you see in her?" Bismuth sighs. "I don't know. I just like...everything about her. She's strong and she's...so much like me. There's this thing about her that makes me feel so good about myself, giving me strength."

We reach the warp pad. We step on it and I warp us away. "Well, I feel that same way with Eyeball."  
"But isn't she the one who's getting that off of you?"  
"Perhaps. But there's more to it than that. I know there is."

In a flash, I see the barn. It's a little more of a brownish red in certain areas thanks to the fire that happened the previous week. "I'm going to go find Jasper." I notice Eyeball sitting in her chair alone at the table. "Alright, but be careful keep your distance."

"Don't worry. I will. And I'll also search for Lapis too so we can talk." I give her a thumbs-up. "Good plan. Thanks for the sword by the way." Bismuth chuckles. "Hey, it's a pleasure doing Bismuth with you."

She smiles expectantly at me. "Can you stop it with the puns now?" Bismuth nods, still smiling. "Yeah, I really need to stop with those. Well, see ya later!" Bismuth walks away, waving. I wave back. "Bye, Bismuth!"

I walk down to the table to meet up with Eyeball. "Eyeball, what happened?" Eyeball looks up at me with a sad smile, her eyes are welling up. "Amethyst, I tried to help her." I raise my eyebrow. "Wait, what?" She tears up. "She's going to come back."

"What is?"  
A roar can be heard in the sky. "The monster you mentioned whenever we talk about Lapis and Jasper."  
"MALACHITE?!"  
Eyeball gulps. "We're doomed!"

I shush her as she whimpers. "Amethyst, what do we do?" I shush her. "It's going to be okay. Jasper and Lapis are on our side this time."  
"But Lapis wants you dead!" I wince at the reply. "What did you two even talk about?"

"I don't get how it happened! It all just started as a casual conversation about life and feelings and all that to a conversation about relationships and those hidden feelings that say that you shouldn't be here." I grimace at her.

"Did you seriously trigger her feelings from the past?! She's more sensitive to that than anything!" I take a deep breath before pressing a hand against my forehead. "It all makes sense now. Jasper doesn't want to be with Bismuth because...of Malachite."

"I heard that she's been hanging out with her more and more often. She said that she moved on. But after everything that has happened, this is where she stands now!" I fake a smile to reassure her. "Uh heh heh. Well, maybe Jasper can control Lapis and protect us."

Eyeball facepalms. "Oh stars help me. By the time we get to her, she'll have her own control! Once a fusion gets comfortable, the fusion melds the personalities of her counterparts together into one for herself!"

"Well, Bismuth is going to check on Lapis and Jasper.  
"You mean Malachite?!" I nod. "Then we gotta go help her!" I rub an eye. "Eyeball, we can't do that right now. I'm getting kinda tired and as you can see, she stopped roaring. Let's just go inside the barn and..."

Eyeball gets up. Suddenly, a giant force field of water encases an entire area in the distance. "Great! A force field! She's going to enhance her power!" She turns back to me. "Amethyst, this is only the middle of the day. We're going after Malachite now."


	12. Rainfall

The day just started off with getting a weapon from the Forge. Afterward, Jasper lost it and she ran away from Bismuth who actually cares about her in such a sense. When we came back though, we saw the disturbing truth.

Jasper wants Malachite and so does Lapis apparently. More than ever. Unlike the last couple times, Malachite is in much better control of herself since Lapis and Jasper are actually in agreement with each other. Good for them, bad for us.

Eyeball and I run over to the force field as I charge up the electricity from my fingertips. "We're going to have to hit it just right if we want to break through!" I draw a fist back, ready to launch.

I look over at Eyeball. "Ready?!" Eyeball nods. I focus on the water as I launch my punch with a yell. The force field bursts into droplets as I slam my fist into it. I take a moment to pant as Eyeball looks beyond.

"A forest?" Eyeball raises her eyebrow. "That doesn't make any sense." I concur with her. "Yeah, why would Malachite want to grow stronger here? There's no water anywhere. It's just nothing but trees."

Eyeball steps forward. "Well regardless, we need to stop Malachite. Not to mention, we need to find Bismuth. She could be in trouble." I scoff. "You think?! With Malachite on the loose, she could be in much more than just trouble!"

I walk alongside her as we navigate around the trees. "There are no signs of life anywhere. No animals or insects. Nothing!" Eyeball presses a hand against her forehead with a groan. "Ugh! I can't believe this!"

We move around another tree. "Malachite must be using these trees for cover! It could take us days to find her!" I gulp. "Or Bismuth." We stop as another roar blares through the forest. My eyes narrow. "Malachite."

I feel something dripping off of my face. "What the-!" I look up and I notice rain pouring into the forest. "Amethyst, look!" Eyeball points up at the sky. The sky turns from blue to a dark green. In a flash, I see Lapis...and Jasper. What are they doing?

I press a hand against my forehead and I groan. I see the forest...  
glitching? I look over at Eyeball whose motioning me to follow her. "This way." We keep walking as my perspective of the forest continues to change before my very own eyes.

"Lapis, I don't think we should be doing this." I glance behind me with a gasp, startled by Jasper's presence lurking somewhere in my mind. "Eyeball, did you hear something?" Eyeball puts a hand on my shoulder. "It's just the rain, Amethyst."

Eyeball starts glitching before me. I gasp, covering my mouth. "Eyeball!" I point at her. She raises an eyebrow and she looks down at herself. She looks back up and she waves a hand in front of my dead gaze. Lapis' voice erupts in the forest.

"Jasper, things have changed! I need you! I need Malachite! I need...gah!" The light grows dim in the forest as Lapis struggles to handle Jasper. Their rant consumes me as Eyeball looks around standing nearby.

"Lapis, I just turned down my only chance to have a real relationship! Why did I have to choose Malachite over her?! Why did I choose you?!" Jasper, why did you choose her? Why do you choose this disgusting, vile, abusive mess over something that's true, genuine and pure? Just why?!

Jasper grabs Lapis by the arm. "Why is it always you?" Why is it always you, Lapis? Lapis grabs Jasper's other arm. "Because I like you, Jasper. I missed you...and Malachite." Everything around me glitches once more.

"You are just someone that I need to feel more like myself. Someone that I can vent on to get over my dang problems." I clutch my stomache, heaving. I back into a tree and I slump down to the ground. "That's just like-!"  
"You are all that I need." 

Jasper takes a step back. "Lapis, why can't you learn to let me go? To let me make my own decisions? To choose who I want to be with?" Lapis, why did you do this?! Why did you do this to her?! Lapis presses a hand on Jasper's cheek. 

"You're all that I have left. Besides, you placed all of this upon yourself. YOU wanted this!"   
"I...I..." Jasper looks down. "Why? Why you?" Lapis rests her head on Jasper's chest. 

"Because we can only have each other. I mean, what do you think she has to offer that could be better than this?" Jasper grits her teeth. "I could've at least tried." Lapis moves her head up towards Jasper's. 

"She doesn't know you though. You're a monster just as much as I am. You did the right thing by declining her offer. After all, we were meant to be with each other." And that very moment, Lapis moves her lips into Jasper's, sealing the abusive deal.


	13. Reunions

I watch in horror as Lapis and Jasper make out with each other in such a disturbing way. Lapis places her hand down on Jasper where it counts and Jasper places a hand on Lapis' butt, covered by her jeans. I can't stop myself from seeing this.

"Jasper, I'm so sorry! I can only save you so many times!" I clutch the grass next to me as I grit my teeth. Tears roll down my face as my frown quivers. I hear them laughing. They are blinded by their sensualism. I can hear their moaning. I can hear...  
things.

"Amethyst?" I look up to see a red blur. "Amethyst, can you hear me?!" I can't move my mouth or any part of my body. I barely have the willpower to move my eyes to a certain degree. "Amethyst?!" She moves in towards me, kneeling on one foot.

She takes my hand and I can feel her heat. She exhales. She closes her eyes as our lips meet. Like a conversation, our tongues play for a bit to talk to each other. However, mine didn't want to talk. 

But Eyeball insists as she latches her tongue onto mine. I moan in her mouth as I sweat from the experience. However, I feel no pleasure or urge to free myself. I am distracted and mesmerized by the abusive love of Lapis and Jasper.

I can't explain. I can only watch as they move fast on their own to reach their intended goals. Eyeball doesn't pull away from me. She urges her tongue on to ensure her connection with my state my mind. She can't see it. Only I can.

I moan a few times as I feel myself getting hot, probably from the heat of Eyeball's tender movements on me. I close my eyes until I can only see Lapis and Jasper. I feel myself intruding on their session.

I take a step into their mind and they stop. Jasper retracts her hand from Lapis' jeans and Lapis draws back a hand from Jasper's chest. They gasp and the laughter stops. They widen their eyes and I glare at them.

I feel a hand touch my shoulder. "Amethyst." I turn to my right to see the figure that I despise above all else. My fists shake as I sharpen my glare into the eye of the monster that changed everything, leaving all of that in ruins. "Eloc." I can't tell if he is happy, scared, or angry to see me.

He only has one eyeball. No head or face. He is beyond anything that could be considered a human or a Gem. He is something entirely new...and threatening to the universe. His pupil constricts as we have our staring match as a way to intimidate me.

He turns his gaze towards Lapis and Jasper. He casually walks down towards them and he stops right in front of them. Lapis and Jasper freeze as Eloc holds my hand. "Jasper and Lapis is it? I'm Eloc Cesarl. I apologize for intruding on your scene, but Amethyst had to intervene."

His hand points in my direction. "She was just here to watch whatever you guys were going to do like the sick perverts of our society on Earth. She apparently has quite the fetish for Malachite." I gulp as Lapis and Jasper glare at me.

"And Lapis?" Lapis looks back at Eloc. "That coin toss was actually me. However, whose fault was it for not keeping her control over me?" I take a step back as Eloc starts to advance in on me. 

"I can hurt all of you and simply get away with it all because Amethyst is failing to carry her burden. Me." He points at himself. "You're failing everyone." He moves a little faster as I continue to back away. "You even let things slide. You could've stopped this. Now look what you've done!"

I look back over to Lapis and Jasper, who are letting go of each other. "Do you seriously think that none of this is your fault?! If you are, then you are just stupid!" He slaps me and I feel the sparks from the hit.

"Why are you the chosen nemesis? You are small, selfish, easy to manipulate and control! You are weak, dependable, lazy, depressed, you're just begging for death! HOW PATHETIC!" He punches me across the face and he uppercuts my jaw.

He then kicks me down to the ground. "You aren't even worth my time. I can just kill you right now!" He charges up his sparks. "But I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. Leave this forsaken personality and never see my eye again until you have the absolute gall to challenge me!"

I get up, wiping my mouth with my arm. "If you don't fight me soon, I will force you to in any way I can necessary. I didn't live through all these years to encounter such an incompetent pathetic waste! NOW GO!"


	14. Determination

I wake up, gasping. Eyeball pulls away from me, her eyes widening. "Amethyst, are you okay?!" I groan. "Eyeball, why am I the one who has to deal with this?" Eyeball raises an eyebrow. "What? We're doing this together." 

My eyes well up. "That's not it. I just...encountered Eloc."  
"What?! Amethyst, what happened?" I groan as I get up. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to find Malachite and Bismuth."

We hear panting and we turn our gaze to an approaching figure. "Eyeball! Amethyst!" Bismuth rushes up to us, smiling. "Thank the stars I found you two." She frowns looking back and pointing in the direction she came.

"Malachite is down there somewhere. I could use some backup to even the odds." We nod to Bismuth and she gives us a thumbs-up. "Great! Let's go." She walks off down the path and we follow her to hunt down Malachite. 

"Sorry for worrying you guys by the way. I had no idea that this forest is so big." I groan, facepalming. "Well duh! All forests are big!" Eyeball puts a hand on my shoulder. "Well, at least we made it, right?" Bismuth shakes her head. 

"Not yet. We still have a ways to go." I tear up, remembering the events of what took place inside Malachite. "So, I found Lapis and Jasper just before they fused into that ugly uppercrust. They were like kissing and all that and my heart..."

She grits her teeth. "Couldn't be more broken right now." I smile. "Hey, we'll get her back. Don't worry about it."  
"Well, I don't know if we can. I never really hung out with her that much. And Lapis has been with Jasper much longer than I could've imagined." She curls her hands into fists.

"I mean months trapped at the bottom of the ocean versus a single week, not even! She chose her over me because she cares more about about that uppercrust than me! Not to mention herself over her own personal needs!" She slams her fist into a tree.

"And I...just need someone to be with...so that I know that there really is a light at the end of tunnel!" I walk past Eyeball to meet up with Bismuth face to face. "Bismuth, she does care about you. Lapis is forcing her into Malachite because wants the same thing you do."

"Well how do you know that?!"  
"Because I saw Lapis and Jasper inside Malachite as the rain was pouring down." Bismuth raises an eyebrow. "Say what now?"

"Look, Jasper wanted to give you a chance and she's upset that she didn't. Lapis is manipulating her by telling her that you can't give her what she wants and that you are no better than Malachite is." She tenses up. 

"Oh! Well I certainly am better than that putrid, vile beast! I'll show her!" I pat her back. "We'll show her." I give her a smile to reassure her and she smiles back. She wipes her tears. "Okay. Let's do this!" She runs off. "Bismuth, wait!" We run to keep up with her.

The forest glitches again. "She's close." We pant as we make our way down the path. A roar blares down in our direction. "We're almost there! Hurry!" Bismuth motions us forward as we rush down towards a giant green mass in the distance.

Jasper's voice echoes in my head once more. "Lapis, we should stop. What are we doing here?" Lapis shushes her. "Forget about it. At least as Malachite, we'll be okay." Jasper glares at her. "I will not let things end like this."

Lapis snaps a glare back. "I have no one else! Thanks to Amethyst, Peridot has been shattered! And it's all because she couldn't control that demon inside of herself! I could lose you next and then I will have no one!"  
"Lapis, I...don't care about that."

I can hear thunder rumbling as Lapis cracks her knuckles in her trembling fists. "You will."  
"I will not! There is someone out there who truly cares about how I feel! You don't know me or care about me at all! You're a monster, Lapis!" Lapis grits her teeth.

"I've seen you long enough to get around that fact! What good is Malachite if this is all she will ever be?! All you've ever done was take everything out on me and you've always hated me since the day I took you in as prisoner! That isn't love!"

She tears up. "That's flipping abuse! I don't want it anymore than you do! I wish I never met you! I wish I've never met this gargantuan dirtpile! I've had enough! Now let me go!"  
"NEVER!" Wind whips the trees and lightning crashes down from the dark green sky. What came next is the rain.


	15. Undoings

This day has been pretty hectic and far more important than I could've imagined. It is just connecting to so many different possibilities with multiple references to the dreaded past hinting at the unwanted future I never asked for.

All you can hear is the roaring of the beast, the thunder clapping, the lightning charging, the wind breezing by and your heavy breathing with your darting footsteps crunching against the autumn leaves and grass as you reach your destination. I sweat as I look upon Malachite.

She looks down down at me with the disgusted curl of her turquoise lips. She chuckles at my presence even though she does remember our previous battle and the humiliating defeat that came along with it. Her sharp, jagged teeth enter that curl, forcing me to cringe.

I close my eyes, smiling. "Well, Malachite, it has been some time hasn't it?" The fusion of Lapis and Jasper narrows all four of her eyes. "Yes, it has been." She grits her teeth as she cracks her knuckles. "Ready for a rematch, punk?!" She jabs the palm of her other hand to intimidate me.

I nod and without another word, I draw out my whip. It cracks as Malachite raises her own weapons, unseen and unclear. I charge up the whip with electricity and I lash out at the beast. "Pfft!" She smacks the whip away and I fly into the air, holding onto it.

Malachite grins at the early comeback before she keeps her streak going. She jabs at my side with an invisible fist of water. I groan as I fly off in another direction. She snickers at the start of my downfall. "It's like playing with a volleyball!" 

If this wasn't me at the moment, I would've chuckled at the irony of how bad this is. Malachite volleys me in the air again...and again...and again, playing with herself. She laughs as she launches me upward for what appears to be the twentieth time. 

I cough in mid-air, beaten, tired and weak from the consecutive amount of hits. Never have I ever received such a beating in my entire existence. With the combining force of Lapis and Jasper, I have been thrown into such a walloping. Each hit drives me away from returning back home.

That empty feeling of guilt. The draining of resilience. The belief of feeling small and weak...which I am. It all rushes back. Everything turns into mixes of colorful blurs before my very eyes. How could I have been so stupid to make the first offense?

Goals that I thought were feasible become unattainable. Positivity sprouts negativity. Strength transforms into weakness. Love mixes with the drug of pain and suffering. This has become my ultimate undoing. My end has finally arrived.

The end that I have yearned for many, many years. I wanted to die since the second I realized why I am what I am. I can see all of those disturbing memories that only I alone can have. I can see myself in the temple cutting my arm with a kitchen knife.

I can see myself screaming as I attempt to cut off my circulation of energy in my arms and legs as I pull on the whips. The bathroom. The time of just taking baths. One time, I turned the dial all the way to the left. That night, the temple was filled with steam.

The door was locked and I could still remember the yelling and banging on the door. I entered the tub and I slipped below the surface. The heat scalded my body. I lay on the bottom surface, staring up. I tasted the water as I cough out bubbles.

A human in this instance would've died at this very moment. But since I'm a Gem, I could only suffer, wishing that I wasn't. I just wanted to feel that release. That sense of just letting go of everything. Eventually, the door is busted down and footsteps rushed in.

And then I saw her. The bright cyan eyes stare down into me from above. I felt her fingers wrap around my body and she pulls me out. I pressed a hand against my forehead as I heard several words uttered from her mouth. I try to go back under, but she fought against it by keeping me up there.

I brake her jaw and she grits her teeth. She grabs my arm and she smacks me. We kept exchanging our arguments in our physical language until another entity enters the room. "What's going on in here?!" We gasp as we look over at the one we saw as love staring upon what has been made to last.


	16. Absolution

Malachite swings with a baseball bat made of water, sending me into a nearby tree. I slam against its rough surface and I plunge down towards the ground below. I'm definitely going to poof from this. Suddenly, I feel fingers catch my body. "I've got you!"

I open my eyes for a moment to see Eyeball. I smile before I close my eyes. I look into Malachite's mind once more. But this time, I'm not entering it. I can see Lapis and Jasper, worn out and exhausted. They're both beaten up, panting and somehow, they are smiling together.

I raise my eyebrow as I stare at them. They laugh as they slump down into the ground. "Wow! You really throw quite a punch, Lapis!"  
"Heh, yeah, I'm not really your average aristocratic Gem." They sigh.

"Why is this fun?"  
"I don't know. Maybe you just like fighting?"  
"No. Well, sort of. But that's besides the point. Can we do something else besides hurting each other?"  
"Right now?"  
"Sure."

"I don't know what we can do." Jasper presses a hand against the back of her head. "Uh...we could...uh...dance?" Lapis looks over at Jasper. "Dance? In here? Inside Malachite?"  
"Yeah. But nothing crazy though! How about I just stand up..." Jasper gets up. "And offer you my hand."

Lapis hesitates for a moment. "Uh..." Lapis takes Jasper's hand and she thrusts her off the ground and onto her feet. "Whoa!" Jasper places a hand on Lapis' waist. "Where did you see this?" Jasper shushes her. "Just move along with me."

She moves one foot to the left...and Lapis follows. "Okay. Left...now right. Up...then down." Lapis chuckles. "Seriously, where did a brute such as yourself see this?"  
"Let's just say, I had a feeling that I should do it."

Lapis laughs as Jasper moves in different directions with her in a slow pace. They make ripples in the water that they're standing on with each passing step they take. "Okay. Now we can change it up if you want." 

Lapis looks away, frowning. "No. I like this." Jasper frowns. "Lapis, is something wrong?" Lapis glares in the opposite reaction. "I wish we could stay like this."  
"What's wrong with this?" Lapis sighs. "Malachite." Jasper looks down. 

"Oh."  
"Why is this our fusion? Why can't she be pure and nice to look at? Do you think that maybe...in another world, we are actually together? I mean, in a good way?"  
"I believe so, Lapis."

"It's not fair. I lost a stupid coin toss and look at where it got me. I really am desperate and terrible, aren't I?"  
"No. Lapis, don't say that." Jasper slips her hand under Lapis' chin. "But...I wanted you to hurt me."

"Why?"  
"I hate myself for what I've done. I let Peridot die." She sobs into Jasper's chest and Jasper puts her hand on Lapis' cheek. "I loved her. I don't understand why I gave her away like that."  
"What happened before that?"

"We had a few arguments. One ended up in..." Lapis holds her tongue. "I can't!" Lapis struggles to handle herself from going deep into her depression. "I just...left her to die. She was drunk and she kept talking about how much-!" Jasper shushes her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...so confused. Things weren't supposed to be this way...we're they?" Jasper stokes Lapis' cheek and Lapis looks up into Jasper's eyes. "I don't know. But it happened. We lost a Pearl, Peridot, and...Rose."  
"Steven."  
"Steven."

"Steven died in Amethyst's hands. It can be assumed that he drowned in the ocean from the events of Hurricane Amethyst."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Steven is the offspring of Rose Quartz. She was clever and she knew how to save and protect herself along with her entire army of rebels. Her tactics in the Gem War were remarkable. It was like nothing I could've thought of or the Diamonds. Who knows? Maybe he'll come back."

"Maybe. But I don't know if he should really come back though. I want to see him again but..."  
"Lapis?"  
"I don't know if that's going to be a good thing or not. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

"Lapis, no matter what happens to us, we'll always be close...no matter what. But now, we must unfuse. Malachite is hurting our friends and family...and my sister." Jasper's eyes well up. "Should we?" Lapis moves her face towards Jasper's. "I'm ready if you are."

Jasper moves her face towards Lapis. They close their eyes and they brush each other's lips. Their gems glow and then their bodies glow. The space around them flashes and I close my eyes as a single sound resonates throughout it.


	17. Penitence

After Lapis and Jasper unfused, Malachite dissapeared. Only this time, it is meant to be for good for they have officially made their final good-byes to her. Jasper went along with Bismuth while Lapis wandered away alone. I was carried away by Eyeball back to the barn in her arms.

It would be the same routine ever since the night she first gave me a massage. Eyeball would first lay me down on the ground and I would stretch out as she locks the door so no one can disturb us. She would then crawl up to me. 

I would slide off my jacket and she would take off my shirt. A night later, she also took off my shoes. After that, we would make out until we fell asleep on top of each other. Sometimes, she would push it a step further with either some time on my neck or tongue. She does both rarely.

Ten nights after Malachite beat me down, Eyeball gave me a certain request. "Can I make..." She clears her throat. "Love with you?" I put my hand up, refusing the offer. "Not until the time is right." I didn't regret it for not that long later, Lapis swoops into the barn.

"Can I talk with you guys?"  
We shrug. "Eh, sure." Lapis sighs as she sits down in front of us. "I don't get it. Jasper has Bismuth and you have Eyeball. So why am I alone?" I wince. "Lapis, maybe you'll meet another Gem soon."  
"Was Peridot my only chance?"

She sniffs. "I miss it you know. I just can't forget that nice, warm feeling that you get from someone who truly cares about you. Someone who always has your back and will always be there for you. Someone who can understand you in ways that nobody else can."

Her voice shakes. "Steven, Peridot. They understand me. Yet they're gone and...I have no one now. Was I just destined to be this way?" She looks down at the ground. "Even Ruby and Sapphire are together even though they aren't Garnet anymore."

"Where do they live?"  
"They aren't far from here. They live in a cabin down by the forest. I never went to go see them, but I would always pass by their place during my walks." She looks back up at us. 

"Jasper and I could've been together. Sadly, I prefer our unhealthy, abusive relationship over this." She places her hand on the ground next to her. "It's just like the mirror. I may be free...but I'm not free. Why am I not free?"  
"Maybe you just need to wait a bit more."

"FOR HOW LONG EXACTLY?!"  
"Lapis, I don't know." Lapis points a finger at me, glaring.  
"YOU DO KNOW! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHATTERED PERIDOT AND YOU ARE ALSO THE ONE WHO TOOK MY ONLY FRIEND AWAY FROM ME!" She breathes heavily from her rage.

"I'm sorry. I need to go...think about a few things to myself." She gets up and she sprouts her water wings. She flies off through the window and Eyeball and I exchange anxious looks. "She's acting like you before we fought Holo Pearl. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Should we go after her?"  
"No. It's best if we don't."  
"But what if she attempts it?"  
"She can, but she's probably going to just think about it. Look, don't worry about her for right now."  
"But I caused her all of that pain."

"Ame, please don't beat yourself up over this. We know dang well Eloc did all of that."  
"But she was right about Steven."  
"What?"  
"I had a fight with him in his bubble and I ended up killing him just to save Lapis and get myself out of there."

I tear up. "I put myself before my family. I always do. What if I do something like that with you?"  
"Ame, please. Don't worry about that."  
"What if I end you?!"  
I sniff. "What if I can't handle myself?!"

"Ame-!"  
"ENOUGH!"  
Eyeball quickly moves back a bit. "Do you want to-!"  
"NO!"  
"Do you want me to-!"  
"I CAN DO IT MYSELF!"

Eyeball's frown quivers. She squints her eyes for a moment, hurt from my guilt. "Okay. Goodnight, Amethyst." She lays down and she turns away from me. I huff before I take off my shirt and shoes. I lay down next to Eyeball and I turn away from her.


	18. Mirages

I hear an engine humming. I groan as I open my eyes and I stretch out, yawning. I sit up with a grunt and I look over to see Eyeball pacing. Her face is sweating and her eye is widening. I pull my shirt over my head and I slip my shoes on.

I put on the jacket and I get up. Eyeball is biting her fingers and she's pressing both hands against her ears. "I can't believe this happening!" I raise an eyebrow. "What's going on?"  
She stops pacing and she looks directly at me.

"Care for a reality check?" She glares at me. "Look outside!" I walk over to the door. I carefully take a peak outside and I cover my mouth. There are dozens of Ruby soldiers wandering the area. "FIND THEM!" I look over to see a yellow being whom I once saw briefly on a transmittion.

"Hmm...let's see..." She pulls out a device that appears to be some sort of watch. She presses a button on the side and a screen pops up, revealing Eyeball's face. "Ruby, Facet 6, gem placement on the right eye, yellow diamond..." 

I look back at Eyeball for a moment. She's tearing up and covering her mouth like I am. I look back over at the Pearl. "Guilty of...oh. Abandoning and retaliating on her own platoon. Well that's a disappointment." 

She slides the screen over and I nearly choke on my breathing, muffled out by my hand. "Hmm...an Amethyst. Facet 5, Prime Kindergarten, proven to be defective in size, Crystal Gem-!" She widens her eyes. "Former Crystal Gem?" 

She quickly slides her finger up on the screen to scroll down. "Guilty of the Crystal Gem status. Manipulating a Jasper? Accused of building an era 2 Crystal Gem army? Shattered Rose's Pearl and killed Rose Quartz?" She gapes at the description I didn't want to hear.

"Caused several massive breakouts at the barn near Beach City, USA on planet Earth. Assumed to be a towering threat to both Earth and Homeworld. Huh. Interesting. I wonder what she looks like." She taps her finger on the screen and my full appearance pops up on it.

She blushes. "My...stars." She stares at the screen for a moment before she shakes her head, swiping the image off the screen. "I gotta stop doing that. She's going to get shattered soon anyway." She sighs as she turns off the screen. She wanders off and I look back at Eyeball. 

"She's here, Amethyst. Yellow Diamond's Pearl is here to take us back to Homeworld to get shattered. "Yellow Pearl." I blush for a moment and Eyeball raises an eyebrow, calming down. "Uh...Amethyst?"

The name just sounds so perfect. Yellow Pearl. She was a Pearl and a fancy one too. Unlike Eyeball's, she saw my description and she appeared amazed by my achievements. When she turned off the screen, I noticed her biting her lip with an eye welling up. She has a crush on me.

I feel bad for her and I don't know why. She is sent here to shatter me and now I feel as if she could steal my heart away from anyone. She's so much like the Pearl I once knew. She has that charm to her that just lures me in towards anyone like her. If Eyeball goes, will I be able to have her?

I wince at the thoughts I just made in my head. "Amethyst?" I feel my cheeks getting hotter. Eyeball folds her arms. "Is something up?" I really wish she didn't come to Earth. If she hadn't, I would still feel that connection with Eyeball. 

But since she did, I can feel that connection slipping away. Once again, my Rose returns to haunt me and my desires. I look back over to the door. "Amethyst?!" Eyeball taps her foot against the floor. "I'm fine, Eyeball." Without a concious, I open the doors. I...I need to go find her.

I wander out and Eyeball gasps and whisper yells. "AMETHYST, GET BACK HERE!" I continue wandering off on my own. The sky is gray and the wind is a light breeze. The wind carries leaves around as they double over in mid-air. I watch as Yellow Pearl's head dissapears down the fields.


	19. Blinded

I keep walking down the fields until I find myself landing on the ground face-first. A hand keeps my head pinned down. "Amethyst, what are you doing?! You're on a way trip to getting shattered! And..."

She let's go of me and I get up. I look onto the fields and I reach out for it. Eyeball steps in front of me. "Amethyst, are you okay?" I stare at the fields, gaping in the direction in which the flawless Pearl has gone.

I start walking again. "What the-!" I find myself entranced in the Pearl imagining her as an old friend who I must have to fill me with such ecstasy. I know it's impossible...but I have to try. I keep walking until I see the Pearl wandering towards the forest.

I can hear Eyeball running after me. "Amethyst, no!" I stand on top of the hill, gazing at her precious features. Even her saltiness is attractive. I want her to fight me. So I will let her have an honerable battle between two legends from opposite sides.

I resume heading towards her. However, all that happens next is a blur. I find myself directly at her feet. I feel hurt on all sides and I get up to look into her golden eyes that takes my breath away. "Hello."  
"Hi."

We find ourselves locked into each other's gazes. Her golden features in mine with my lavender visage in hers. I didn't notice the Rubies staring at us until one shouts out. "IT'S HER!" I let them pin me down to the ground, startling the Pearl.

"Yellow Pearl."  
"No, please. Call me...Yellow."  
"Yellow." My eyes shine in the sunlight. "I'm Amethyst." We are blinded by each other's beauty. We can't see the reality in which we are truly enemies.

Her eyes shine just the same and I want to touch her and feel her. I attempt to reach out to her...but I can't. The pain of the Rubies pinning me down is numbed by Yellow herself. At the next moment, red stands before me, glaring down.

"Amethyst." She folds her arms. She clears her throat. Yellow lightly pushes her to the side. She kneels down and our eyes meet a few feet within each other. She presses a hand to my cheek. Suddenly, a hand smacks Yellow's face. I glare at the Ruby who did it.

Eyeball stands next to her, fists shaking. "WAKE UP!" Her hand smacks my face and I grit my teeth at her. Yellow shakes her head and she facepalms, getting up. "I'm so sorry! I just...I CAN'T!" She quickly pulls her weapon from her chest and she points it down at me. "I HAVE TO DO THIS!"

With all the energy I can muster, I charge up my energy as she raises her weapon. I release the energy and with a single boom, the Rubies fly off of me. I roll away from Yellow as she strikes down her spear. I get up and I pull out my whip from my chest.

"You...have a weapon on your chest?"  
"Yeah. Can you fight?"  
"Can I fight?!" With a twirl of her spear, she launches a fireball at Eyeball. She falls down as it implodes in front of her.

Eyeball growls as she gets up. "Don't think I can't see what's going on here!" I blush. "Sorry." I smile a weak smile at her. "I'M your girlfriend! Not-!" Yellow looks back at me. "You already have a girlfriend?" The Rubies nearby yell out to her.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"  
"YELLOW, YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!"  
"SHE'S JUST A DEFECT!"  
"FORGET ABOUT HER!"  
"SHE ALREADY HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"  
"THINK ABOUT YOUR DIAMOND!"

She gasps at that last comment. "My...my Diamond. Forgive me." Her eyes turn sharp and she smirks. "Oh. Just another Amethyst." Her eyes stop shining and her appearance changes from vibrant to dull within seconds.  
"You are just an Amethyst." She chuckles at those words.

"YOU'RE JUST AN AMETHYST!" I wince at her cackling. "Of course! You mean absolutely nothing to me! What a joke! You're a joke! A big fat joke!" I grit my teeth at her as I lash out. The whip hits her directly in the face. She growls at me. "That'll be the last mistake you'll ever make."


	20. Yellow

Yellow darts at me and I attempt to zap her. I shoot a beam of electricity from my fingertips. She deflects it with a twirl of her spear. "That trick won't work on me, Amethyst!" She knocks me away with a smack of that spear and I barrel down from her.

I sit up just to find myself lying on the ground again. Her foot pins my chest to the ground. "Hmpf! And I thought you would be a lot more stronger than this! PATHETIC!" I whip out my sword to block her incoming strike.  
"Are you holding back?!"

I push her off of me with my foot and I get up. Her spear lands on my sword...and my sword lands on her spear. "I've felt much better blows than these!" She twirls as she kicks my face. I land on the ground once more.

"Could it truly be..." She puts her spear point up to my neck, making me wince. "That you're feeling it?" I raise my eyebrow. "Feeling what?" She chuckles and she breaks out into song.

_"Are you feeling yellow?_  
_Well that's nothing mellow."_

I kick her off of me again and I get up.

_"Yes we may be salty._  
_But at least we're not faulty."_

She hits me in the face with her spear.

_"Are you optismic?_  
_Well you'd better start being pessimistic."_

I raise my eyebrow. "Why?"

_"Cause we are coming here._  
_We are coming here for you._  
_We were tired of waiting._  
_And we meet at last!"_

She points her spear at me and I lash out again.

_"We will strike the fear in all your hearts."_

The whip bounces off the spear and I gasp.

_"Don't think we haven't learned martial arts._  
_The color of our pride_  
_Is our very guide._  
_You may glide_  
_But things will never slide."_

I rush at her and I slide towards her. She kicks me away from her. 

_"We are powerful and feisty._  
_And that doesn't mean that we're thirsty._  
_We have one goal to keep you in line._  
_Unless you slip by, things will be fine."_

I cough as I heave, clutching my chest.

_"Heed our order and this warning._  
_If you make a fuss, you'll be gone by morning."_

She snaps her fingers.

_"Meet my lance."_

She lands her spear on my sword.

_"And we shall dance."_

I land my sword on her spear. She looks into my eyes.

_Then take that chance._  
_You finally have met me._  
_This is the way things were meant to be."_

I breathe for a moment and she grabs my chin.

_"You can come at me lashing._  
_But I will take you thrashing._  
_Take one step out the door._  
_And you will hit the flo-or!"_

She sends me to the ground.

_I have my intellect._  
_And you have your neglect._  
_You are much defective._  
_For you are never that refective."_

I get up and I collapse on the grass again.

_"Unlike us, you are nothing._  
_As opposed to us, we are something..."_

I look up at her on my knees, tearing up. She forces her head down at me.

_"Are you feeling yellow?!_  
_Well that's never mellow!_  
_We are in control of you!_  
_Soon things will be all brand-new!_  
_Say goodbye to everything you once knew!"_

I look over at Eyeball then back at Yellow. I back away as I gasp.

_"Cause we are coming here._  
_Cause we are coming for you."_

I continue to back away.

_"Cause we are coming here for you."_

I lie on the ground, panting. She glares down at me.

_"Cause we are coming here for you!"_

She smacks me in the face and Eyeball rushes up to me. Tears stream down my eyes. "Are you feeling it now, Amethyst?!" I grit my teeth at her. "I hate you." Yellow scoffs. 

"That's fine. You'd better start getting used to me because I'm going to be here a lot more often by the time I'm through with you, pebble!" She spits at me and I sob with my hands on my face. She kicks me in the face and she walks away.

I stare up at the dark sky feeling more dead and empty inside than I have ever felt before. Eyeball meets my tear-stained face. "Amethyst!" Thunder rumbles as Yellow looks back at us. "Don't worry! We'll come back for you!" 

She then continues her search as Eyeball looks back at me. "Are you okay?" I sob as Eyeball shushes me. "It's going to be okay. I'm here." I move up to her lips and I force her down into me as rain starts pouring down hard on us.


	21. Pleasure

The kiss carries over to the barn. Eyeball closes the door and she locks it. I continue to sob as she rushes over to me. I can still hear the rain pouring down on the barn along with the thunder outside. She gives me a smile to reassure me as she presses a hand on my cheek.

She shushes me as I embrace her. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall in love with her! It's just-!"  
"I'm sorry too. I hurt you. But I only did it to save you from losing yourself."  
"I forgive you! I...I just don't know!"

"Don't know what?"  
"What to do anymore!" I slide off my jacket and she pulls my shirt over my head. "Is that better?" She starts playing with me and I produce soft moans with my eyes closed. I lay down on the wooden floor as Eyeball starts making out with me.

I lock my tongue on hers and we moan as she strokes my hair. I detach my lips from hers and we pant. "Do you want to uh...do it now?" She blushes and I blush back, nodding my head. "Do it." She smirks. "Alright then." I smile, narrowing my eyes.

Eyeball gets off me and she slips off my shoes. She tickles my feet, making me laugh. "NO! NO! STOP IT!" I continue laughing as she moves back up to me. A tear slides down my cheek as she moves up to my neck.

She sucks on it and I moan until her face meets mine again. I never actually got a good look at her beauty up until this very moment. Her scarlet eye is sharp but smooth and her features are warm and attractive just as much as Yellow's were.

But that could only be because I no longer love her. I move to Eyeball's neck and I work on it in return as she moans into my ear. Finally, I let go and Eyeball gets off of me again, smiling.

I could feel my pants slipping away from my body. "Get ready." I gasp. She works on me as I moan. My breath hitches as she keeps going. I can feel the pleasure washing away all of the pain and the uncontrollable desires for Pearls out towards the sea of love. 

They sink and I smile, finally able to enjoy myself. I stop moaning and I close my eyes. I squint them for a moment. I relax as I lounge on the floor, trying very hard to resist the urge to release the stress building up inside of me. 

"Release." I release with a sigh. Eyeball carefully slips the pants back on and I open my eyes. "Don't you have something for me?"  
I smirk as she looks down at herself. 

"I can't shapeshift." She frowns. "I really wish that I could...but I'm a Ruby." I chuckle. "I can teach you. That way, next time will be just as pleasurable."

"Heh. Next time." She smiles as she rests her body on mine. She sighs. "Ame, I'm worried about Yellow." She glares away from my direction. "She's after us and it's all because we let that Ruby get away."  
"Do you want to give her a name?"

"What can you come up with?"  
"Hmm...how about this. She ran away from us and she's pretty quick on her feet. So why not Leggy?"  
"That's a terrible name." We snicker. "You're making Eyeball sound more like a dream than an insult."

"Well, I tried."  
"No you didn't!" We laugh for a bit until Eyeball gets serious again. "But what I don't get is why Yellow spared us...for now." I contemplate on that for a moment.

"It's probably because she has a crush on me. One that I cannot give back anymore. She made me feel so bad and so good, I felt like slipping away in her arms."  
"Huh. Care to fight her next time with a blindfold then?"

"Only if you're gonna guide me."  
"Deal."  
"AND!" I hold a finger up. "If you can practice shapeshifting."  
"Done."  
I lean into her lips again as thunder crashes outside, causing us to jolt.

"Let's...try that again." I nod and I hold her down as we brush our lips against each other's once more as the rain soothes us from the agressive, disturbing sounds that ring in our heads.


	22. Incognizance

I hear banging on the door. I groan as I lounge on the floor. "No, I don't want that, Eyeball." Another fist starts banging on the door. I open my eyes to see Eyeball opening her own eyes above me. "OPEN UP!"

I rub my eye. "Eyeball, go see who it is." She sighs as she slowly gets off of me. She walks over to the door as I yawn. "WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" The banging against the door outside gets louder. Eyeball carefully checks to see whose outside.

The intruders are clearly Rubies according to their voices. Instead of simply opening the door, Eyeball takes a peek through the crack in between the two doors. "Oh great. Get ready, Amethyst. It's Yellow's henchmen."  
"Oh boy. Here we go." 

Without any bit of effort, I pull my whip out of my fully exposed gem. I put that down for a moment as I reach over to grab my shirt. I grunt as I slip that back on. I then sit up as I slide my jacket and shoes on. I grab the whip and I get up. I head over to the door as my vision adjusts.

"I swear, those Rubies." I look over at Eyeball as I put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "I'm not talking about you of course. You're my Ruby. The best Ruby." I kiss her on the cheek and I turn back to the door. "I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS UP IN FIVE SECONDS!"

I draw back my whip and I slide open the door. "YOU TWO!" Sure enough, two Rubies were waiting outside for us. One has a gem on her shoulder while the other has a gem on her forehead like Pearl and Peridot. I yawn as I lash out at them.

One poofs as she screams from the spikes popping out of the heavy balls of the whip. "Ah, nothing like the sounds of screaming Rubies in the morning." Eyeball poofs the other one with her chisel. "Wake us up at around noon next time."

Our weapons dissapear. I look down at the two Ruby gems lying flat on the grass. As if without a concious, I raise my foot and I send it down on both gems at once. They shatter as I look out into the sunlight. "Eyeball, I think I broke something."

Eyeball looks down at my feet and she widens her eyes. "Uh..." Her face sweats as she notices the shards around my feet. "It's nothing. Let's go take a walk." I yawn again. "Whateve." We head down the fields as we see more Rubies patrolling the area.

Another one spots us and she runs up to us. This one has a gem on its chest like I do. She growls as she storms up to us. "Where are your escorts?!" We look around. "I guess they didn't show up." I shrug. She takes a chisel out of her gem. "I saw them coming to your door."

"Amethyst?" Eyeball's voice shakes. She leans up to my ear. "I think you just shattered them." I shrug. "They're just Rubies." Eyeball gulps in response to that. "YOU SHATTERED THEM?!" The Ruby lunges at me and Eyeball blocks her off with her own chisel.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!" She impales the Ruby and she poofs. I walk over to the Ruby gem and I raise my foot again. Eyeball gasps and she snatches the gem before I could shatter it. "Amethyst, no!" She bubbles the gem. "We're bubbling these." She taps the top, sending it away.

We keep walking until we gasp, halting ourselves from proceeding. Yellow is wandering in the fields, gripping her spear. She growls. "Where are those two?" We exchange anxious looks as she gazes out into the lake ahead of her.

Eyeball taps my shoulder. "Amethyst, look." She whispers, pointing to a cabin nearby. "We'll be safe in there. Come on." We carefully sneak away, trying very hard not to make a sound with Yellow nearby. Once we are a good distance away from her, we dart for the cabin.

We step onto the porch and Eyeball grabs the doorknob. She turns it and the door makes way for us to enter. We step inside and we look around. The cabin contains a kitchen, living room, a small dining room and a staircase which has to lead to a bathroom and a bedroom.

There's a small fireplace in the living room next to a couch with a couple blankets spread out on top of it. "Huh. This is a really nice house."  
"That's because it isn't yours."  
We turn around to see Ruby closing the door in front of us.


	23. Intrusions

Ruby glares at us as she blocks our only way out of the cabin in front of us. "Why are you two here?" I bite my lip to keep calm. "Sorry. We didn't know that this is your place. And Sapphire's." Sapphire! Maybe she can help us.

"So you just simply thought that this is your cabin? Just like how you thought the temple was all yours to burn down and run like a dang little circus along with this barn! You just take everything for granted, don't you?!"  
I put a finger up, attempting to make a counter to that.

"I...I got nothing." I put the finger back and I look down, gritting my teeth. "That's right. You don't because you know deep down that everything that I just said couldn't be more true than it already is."

Eyeball steps in front of me. "Alright, Ruby. That's enough. I highly suggest that you quit messing with my girlfriend now." Ruby smirks and I facepalm. "Oh. So you two are becoming like Sapphire and I? Well isn't that just cute."

Ruby forces Eyeball up to her ear. However, I am close enough to be within earshot of their conversation due to their being complete silence in the cabin. "Why do you care about her? Do think she's got the hots for you or something?"

I blush simultaneously with Eyeball as she tries to clear her throat to answer. "That was the original reason. Later, I saw that she was going through a lot of pain and stress. I saw her nearly kill herself a couple times."  
"And you don't consider that in any way abusive? Depressing?"

"No! I love Amethyst and this is none of your business."  
"It is very much my business now more than ever to keep Amethyst in check. Your relationship is my top priority right now." Ruby places a hand on her shoulder. 

"So here's my advice. Dump her and get the heck away from this barn. She doesn't deserve you or your love. If you don't do that, I'll give you a single warning before I come over there one night. I really don't care if I intrude on your little session or not. I'll beat you down and I'll shatter you right in front of her and then..."

I've had enough of this. I step in to shove Ruby away from Eyeball. "SHUT UP!" I grab her by the chest of her form. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUUP!" She blushes as I heave, holding back a punch. Ruby smirks. "No." I scream as I launch my punch.

A hand catches it as Ruby backs away. "Thank you, Sapphy." Sapphire whips a glare back at her. "Don't think we have come to terms with each other, Ruby!" Ruby gets up folding her arms with a smug smile on her face. 

Besides Yellow, Ruby is one of the only Gems I would want to shatter right now. Sapphire turns back to me. "Don't you dare hurt Ruby! Things are bad enough as it is!"  
"Sapphire, we...came to see you."

"Is that an excuse that you made to convince me to let you stay here for as long as possible from Yellow Diamond's Pearl?" I look down. "Perhaps." Sapphire motions us towards her. 

"Let's go to the living room and talk then." Eyeball and I exchange glances as Sapphire walks away. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I'm just doing nothing but scaring you today, huh?"

"Amethyst, I-!"  
"Are you two coming?!"  
"Yes! Come on." I motion Eyeball forward and we head over to the living room. "Sit wherever you like." Ruby enters the room. "Sapphire, can I talk with you alone for a second?"

"No, Ruby. We have guests. Why don't you go upstairs for right now?"  
"And do what exactly?"  
"You can bathe, shower, watch TV or sleep." Ruby huffs. "Fine! I'll go watch Crying Breakfast Friends or whatever." Ruby storms up the stairs.

She closes a door behind her and Sapphire turns back to us. "I apologize for that rude welcome Ruby gave you. I was upstairs sleeping until I heard you scream, Amethyst." I look down for a moment. 

"Eheheheh. Sorry, Sapphire."  
"Now then, I first want to say welcome. This is where Ruby and I reside together even though we have officially split up from Garnet. In human terms, we are divorced now."

"Wait, hold on. How did this even happen between the two of you anyway?" Sapphire looks down. "The three of us understand the truth on what really happened that night. However, Ruby, above all, couldn't disagree with me more than she ever did before."


	24. Divorce

Sapphire explains her story to us as we sit alone in the living room face-to-face with each other. "When you left, Garnet didn't feel right. She went back to Steven down at the beach. "'Steven, are you okay?'" Steven glares at her. 

"'I can't believe it. Pearl's gone. She's really gone!'" Garnet sensed Steven's hatred and feelings for revenge. He loved Pearl at least as a good mother. "'I thought she cared. I thought she loved her.'" Ironically enough though, you did. 

"But the reason why you shattered her is very unclear to him. All he ever saw that night was you. "'But she did love her.'" Steven eyes well up with tears. "'So why did she do it?!'" Garnet didn't know what to do. Inside her was two broken hearts.

"One cared about Amethyst more while the other cared more about Pearl. Ruby felt betrayed, dusgusted by your action. She really cared about you, Amethyst. But unfortunately, unlike me, she only saw you shattering Pearl that night. Things could only go downhill from there.

"When Garnet got inside the temple with Steven, she felt something she hadn't in a really long time. She felt self-hatred. She hated herself for letting things happen the way they did. Inside, the two had an argument.

"'Ruby, Amethyst wasn't the only one involved in that!'"  
"'That's a lie, Sapphire! She may have fused with Eloc, but she destroyed him, remember?!'"  
"'Ruby, there are ways in which he can control her!'"

"'You're crazy! You know there's no one else involved because all I see is Amethyst doing that!'"  
"'That's because he wants you to believe that!'"  
"'Oh really? You expect me to believe that some dead person just took control of her mind or something?'"

"'Ruby, you can't just assume that only one person commited that crime. Yes, Amethyst was involved. But it wasn't entirely her fault! It takes two to tango!"

"'True, but not true! You know what really happened. Maybe you're just saying that so we can split up. Is that what you want?!'" I did and I didn't. I wanted to split apart from her only because I needed to get away from her for a while. 

"Honestly, I didn't know what to agree with on the situation. I didn't want to believe that it was all you. There are many things that could've taken part in Pearl's shattering.

"Maybe they could've been romantic aspects. Maybe she wanted to die. Maybe she just couldn't handle her love towards you. I've seen some things. Pearl has been a little off herself. 

"She would generally tear up and maybe say some disturbing things under her breath as she walked passed Garnet. She would isolate herself more and more and she would always have some form of tension in her expression or tone of voice.

"She didn't know what to do with herself. Honestly, she didn't know what was going to happen to you. When you came home that night, Pearl was heartbroken. I know you had your moments with her. All of those private talks you've had with her."

I tear up. "I wish she was still here. I want to at least be her best friend or whatever you know?" Sapphire growls. "Well guess what?! She's gone! You shattered her! Maybe it wasn't Eloc! Maybe I really am insane! Maybe you're the one who made all of this happen!"

She curls her hands into fists. "Garnet split apart not long after. However, Ruby and I stayed together. It is abusive and it is terrible for us! We shouldn't be split apart like this! Yet, look at what happened!" Sapphire looks down at the ground.

"Our conversation escalated into our divorce. "'Ruby, I understand what you're saying. But maybe it wasn't all her.'"  
"'How's that?'"  
"'Well, remember how Pearl was before this happened?'"

"'What?!'"  
"'She was more quiet about things than she was. She couldn't even look us in the eye.'"  
"'Sapphire, you're blind! You saw the look on her face when she shattered Pearl! WE saw it!'"

"'Well maybe I'm just not able to see things clearly because of you!'"  
"'Well maybe I can't see things clearly because of you!'"  
"'You know what?! How about we pull the plug on Garnet then!'"

Ruby's jaw dropped, her eyes widened in response to my threat. "'You wouldn't! You can't even last a last day without me!'"  
"'Oh?! Yes I can! Maybe it's you who can't survive a day without me!'"

"'Alright! If you want to unfuse right now, then let's just do it already!'"  
"'Fine!'"  
"'Fine!'"  
We split apart and Ruby immediately gets up and runs into her room. 

"I look to up to see Steven looking down at me. He watched the whole thing unfold. With tears, I ran into my room. Things just stayed that way ever since. One of us would take care of Steven at a time.

"We would take turns in hourly shifts. Whenever he saw us though, he was never happy. He would always mutter your name. Pearl's name. Our name. He was never in a cheery mood ever again since that night."


	25. Relationships

Sapphire tears up as she concludes the story. "That's how it happened. We just split apart from each other. Yet, we stay together and our relationship has turned abusive!" I look down and I sigh. "What have I done?" Sapphire wipes her tears with an arm.

"No. Don't blame yourself entirely for what happened. I just wanted to defend you. And now, I regret doing that because look at where we have ended up! It's not fair!" She looks away. Eyeball places her hand on my hand and I turn to face her.

She holds them together, her eyes welling up. "Eyeball?" She sniffs as Sapphire look back at us. She loses some of the tension from herself by taking a deep breath. "And then there's you two. I guess you're a couple now or something?"

"Yeah. We kinda are."  
"Well that's nice to hear. How did you two get together?"  
"It went down like...how do I put this? She came here with her platoon and I saved her from getting all the abuse from her leader, Doc."

"We fought them and we developed crushes for each other over time. I came first though. I saved her from like killing herself and then I sung a song to her and um..." She blushes as I put a hand on her shoulder. "I developed a crush on her and it was that same night too."

"I nearly lost her. But we found each other and it was all from a battle with Holo Pearl."  
"Holo Pearl? But Pearl can't summon her anymore."  
"No no. SHE was the Holo Pearl."  
"But that doesn't make any sense."

"Well, it happened."  
Sapphire sighs. "Well I'm happy for you two. Please, don't let yourselves become Ruby and I. I don't want to see you guys the same way you see us right now. It can be tough. Trust me, I know."

"What can we do to keep things mutual between us?"  
"First off, relationships can be very complicated. It can really be all fun and games if you let it. However, you two need to feel something from each other as well. You need an equal balance of good times and bad times.

"Another thing to remember is to be like Garnet, a conversation. You two need to talk in order to get to know each other better. If you like what you hear, then keep going, don't stop. The more you know each other, the better your relationship will be.

"One last thing to know is the maturity factor. Yes, there are times for private sessions. But you two need to be very careful not to do it too often. One, you lose privacy from each other. Two, you get bored of it after a while. And three, it isn't good for your mental health."

"Huh. Good to know."  
"Yes, very."  
I get up to look outside the window. I groan. "Yellow is still out there." Sapphire looks up at the ceiling and then back at us. "Well, until they are gone, you are more than welcome to   
stay here with us."  
"Thank you, Sapphire."

"You're welcome. Knowing Ruby, she will completely disagree with me on this. But honestly, your safety matters more right now than our personal opinions do. You can use the bathroom and watch TV. I think there's a second bedroom already up there, so you two can use that."

She gets up from the couch. "I think Ruby cooks the food while I do everything else, so yeah. That's all you need to know. Now I just need to find that key and you two should be good to go. I'll see you two in a bit."  
"Okay. Sapphire?" She turns to face me. "Yeah?" 

I smile. "It's nice seeing you again." She smiles back for a moment. "Nice seeing you too, Amethyst." She walks away and Eyeball and I look outside again. "When is she ever gonna leave?" My eyes widen as notice Yellow pulling up her screen again.

She appears to be really stressed out with things. My picture pops up again and she sighs. "She's not gonna leave, Eyeball. Not until she has me."  
"Man, she must be really obsessed with you." 

"She sure is."  
We turn back to the staircase. "So how long do you think we'll need to stay here for?"  
"Until Yellow leaves...if she ever does. In the meantime though, we'll have to reside here with Ruby and Sapphire."


	26. Heist

Sapphire comes back into the living room. "I knew it. The key is in the bedroom upstairs that would be next to yours. Ruby is in there right now. If I attempt to get the key, she will ask why I want it. She's going to be up there for a while anyway.

I yawn. "Well I'm tired. Maybe I should go get the key myself."  
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Sapphire shushes her. "Okay. Let's be smart about this. You guys will be caught eventually. But if either of you try to get the key, Ruby will keep it to herself, possibly for the rest of her existence.

I facepalm. "Ugh! This is so stupid! Why can't we just move in?"  
"Because you need the key in order to do that. Without a room, there will be nowhere safe for you two to stay in here or anywhere. The barn has been claimed by Yellow Diamond's Pearl and Ruby wants to shatter you, Amethyst."

"Great! It's double trouble!"  
"We will only have one shot at this. So we better make this one count." Sapphire motions us to the stairs. "Okay. I'll go talk to Ruby and while I do that, Amethyst can get the key. Eyeball, you can set up a distraction to give Amethyst some cover."

"Alright."  
"Wait, why can't I just shapeshift into the key? Then we can unlock the door and we wouldn't have to do any of this."

"Amethyst, a shapeshifted key isn't gonna work. Besides, I doubt you would want to shapeshift everytime to lock and unlock the door." I sigh.  
"True."  
"Alright. Let's go." We head up the stairs and we whisper the rest of the plan before we put it into effect.

I move over to the door and I lean against the wall. "Okay. I'll go first." Eyeball leans against the opposite wall as Sapphire knocks on the door. "Ruby?"  
"Sapphire?"  
"Yes! Can I come in?"  
"Alright! Just hold on a second!"

"She's coming."  
Seconds later, Ruby unlocks the door and she opens it. "Sapphire." She looks down. I could barely see her through the crack. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. Can talk alone with you for a bit?"  
"Of course."

"Are they gone yet?"  
"No. They're downstairs keeping a lookout for Yellow Diamond's Pearl. She recently arrived here the previous day."  
"So Homeworld is back, huh?"  
"Oh yeah. They're back alright."

"And it's all thanks to Amethyst."  
"No...and yes." Sapphire steps into the room and the door closes behind her. "What do mean by that?"  
"I'm just saying that Amethyst did have her issues. But for the most part, it was her fault for letting the Rubies get away and even Eyeball believed that."

I hear her wince nearby. "Yes. So Sapphire, it's been quite a while since we split, am I right? I guess you could call it an anniversary of some sort."  
"Yeah, we could."  
"I can't do it anymore."

"Can't do what?"  
"Being split apart like this."  
"You are?"  
"Yeah. This disagreement thing is getting pretty ridiculous, you know?"  
"Of course I do."

"So you know what? I've thinking about it for a while and I believe that we can come to terms with each other again."  
"Really?"

"Really! Come on, Sapphy! I can't stay mad at you forever and you know that!"  
"Yes, I do."  
"So why are we letting it consume us like this?"  
"I agree."  
"We need to bring her back."

"But Ruby, a divorce is a divorce. I don't know if we should."  
"Sapphire, Garnet needs to fix this barn. Together, you and I will make everything great again and even better than it once was!"

"I wish we could but-!"  
"No, we can! Look, let's do it right now! Please, Sapphire." She kneels down before Sapphire, holding her hands together. "Let's be Garnet again." Sapphire looks over at me and then back at Ruby.

"Ruby, I can't."  
"No, you must! We have to do this!"  
"RUBY-!" Ruby smashes her lips down into Sapphire's as she dips her. They start to glow. I gasp and I swing open the door. I rush over to the dresser in the middle of the room.

I pull out the top right drawer and I see a pile of mementos everywhere. "Where is it?! Where is it?!" I slide things around as the glow brightens more and more. Finally, I see a dark square shaped key. "Bingo!"

The glow explodes. Ruby and Sapphire land on the ground. Ruby gets up as I dash out of the room. "WHAT?!" I motion to Eyeball. "QUICK! IN HERE!" She rushes into the room as Ruby charges towards us.   
I slam the door shut before I insert the key. 

"HURRY!" I turn it and I hear banging on the door similar to how it was heard this morning. "OPEN UP!" I fall back into Eyeball's arms, gasping for breath. "Great! Now how are we supposed to get out?" Eyeball shushes me. "Don't worry about that right now. Let's get some rest."

I lay down on the bed next to Eyeball as I hear Ruby's blood curdling, ear-drum piercing screams. I turn to Eyeball's side and I hold her close to me as I close my eyes. Everything goes dark as I hear one final scream. One that curses out my name.


	27. Questions

I lay on the bed hours later holding up the key that I stole from Sapphire's room. How do I know it was Sapphire's? It's because the key that I'm holding in my hand is actually Ruby's. It didn't take me that long to figure it out.

The room has a small wooden bed with scarlet sheets thrown together on it with a warm blanket along with a nightstand to the right of it on the side where I lay. The walls are colorless and bland and the ceiling stays unshaven.

There is a small dresser to the left of the bed with a cramped closet, open, full of boxes bunched together. It may be a total mess, but it's home. Last but not least, the window. The one that I'm staring out of right now has a crack in the bottom left corner. 

There is a curtain, but it's damaged and ripped. At least with Eyeball in here with me, things aren't entirely depressing. However, I still feel really and confused as to why I even did such a thing in the first place. Why would Sapphire do this to her? What is she up to?

The alarm clock blares out some distorted audio and I groan. "Hey, Amethyst, can you turn that off?" I turn my head to the alarm clock and I notice five red buttons on it. I move my head up to see what's what. 

I press my finger against the third button next to the two smallest ones on the right and I hold it down till it's mute. I turn my head the other way to see Eyeball rummaging through the boxes. "Eyeball, are you suspicious about this key like I am?" 

Eyeball turns to look at me. "Well, sort of. Right now, I'm just trying to find us a way out of here."  
"By going through the boxes?" Eyeball growls. "Amethyst, what else could we possibly do right now?! We're stuck in here and if we even attempt to break out of here, Ruby is going to kill us!" 

My stomache rumbles. "I need to eat though." Eyeball kicks a box. "Oh suck it up and quit whining! You're a Gem! You don't need anything other than your own gem to live!"  
"But..." I put a hand on my stomache and I groan. 

"I really need to eat."  
"Why can't you just eat out of your own..." Eyeball covers her face. "Just shut up, Amethyst." I glare at her. "I'm not going to shut up." I sit up and I smile, narrowing my eyes. "Why not get on the bed with me and-!" Eyeball grits her teeth. 

"THIS AGAIN?! Why do you keep asking for THIS?! You seriously think I'm even close to being in the mood right now for it?!" I blush and I take a breath. "Eyeball, come on. Let's just relax for a bit and calm down-!"

"NO! I'm getting sick and tired of being told to calm down! How old do think I am?!"  
"Uh...aren't we all the same age?"  
"NOT EVEN CLOSE! You may be fully-grown like the rest of us, but your mentality is nothing but childish! Even your sexuality is immature!"

I get up from the bed and I confront her. "Alright. You know what? I think you should be a little more grateful actually. I took you in-!"  
"Because I took YOU in! Amethyst, be honest, if it wasn't for me falling in love with you, would you be here right now?"

I bite my lip. "Answer the question." She steps up to me. I hold my tongue. "ANSWER THE DANG QUESTION!" I back away into the wall behind me. "So you wouldn't be. Pathetic. I thought that a Gem as beautiful as you would at least have a brain!" 

She knocks on my forehead. "But I guess not. I didn't need to come on the mission. Heck, I didn't need to be saved. If anything, I would still be on Homeworld right now having been miles upon miles away from you right now if I didn't."

"Eyeball, why do you love me? Can you answer that question?!" Eyeball tightens her glare. "You're beautiful."  
"THAT'S IT?!"  
"And..." She looks down. "You may have killed Rose Quartz." 

I scoff. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?! YOU LIKE ME BECAUSE I KILLED SOMEONE?!" Eyeball turns away from me, her fists shaking. "SO IF I NEVER KILLED STEVEN, WOULD YOU EVEN BE IN LOVE WITH ME RIGHT NOW?!"

"Amethyst!"  
"NO! I NEED TO HEAR THIS!" Eyeball walks away from me. "Fine. You know what? Maybe I would've. Maybe I wouldn't have been. At first, all I ever cared about was taking Rose Quartz to justice. Now, I can only care about you more."

"SO THE ANSWER IS NO THEN?!"  
"The answer is undecided." I head to the door. I whip out the key and I insert it into the lock. "I've had enough of this. I'm leaving." I turn the key and I open the door. "I could've left a long time ago. But I just had to stay didn't I?"

Eyeball doesn't look at me. I take the key out of the lock. I look down and I sigh as I close the door. Once I hear the door snap shut, I lock it. I slip the key into my coat before I head down the stairs to the front door.


	28. Doors

I turn the knob on the front door and I push it open. Once I step out onto the porch, I turn to door. I grab the knob and I pull until it snaps shut. I then turn back to the gray skies with the rain pouring down ahead of me.

I step into the gloom and I sulk down the fields, alone. There is no signs of life anywhere for my decision has caused me to enter a completely different reality parallel to the one I once was a part of.

I need to leave this burden and I must find some light. I need to go somewhere to relax. I notice the warp pad about a mile away from where I stand. I head towards it for no one is around to stop me.

I plant my feet on its clear, flat crystal surface. I look down at my reflection and then I look back up at the barn. I sigh and I warp away. Inside the tunnel of light, I can feel a part of myself being carried away by the surge of energy that surrounds me.

Moments later, I arrive inside the temple. I walk on the burned, broken wood towards the door. I've never actually saw the effects of what I've done until now. Every last bit of this place is damaged. 

I face the couch that Pearl and I shared our kiss of confession the very night before everything started falling apart. A tear slips out of my left eye. I look up at Steven's room. A piece of the roof crashes onto the bed. I turn away from it all and I head to the front door.

A voice echoes from within. "It's all your fault." I gasp and I turn to face the warp pad. No one else is around. I press a hand to my forehead. "It always has been." I turn back to the door. "Every door you open only leads to more trouble." I grit my teeth.

I grip the handle and I push it. I exit the temple and I look back as I push the door until it snaps into place. "And every door you close only seals fate." I let go of the handle and I ball my hands into fists. "WHOSE SAYING THAT?!" I quickly turn around with my teeth clenching in my anguish.

"You really think it is MY fault?" I gasp. "Eloc?" I clutch my chest as I pant, widening my eyes. "It was never my fault. None if it was."  
"THAT'S A LIE!" I groan as I clutch my forehead. I collapse on my knees. "You shattered Peridot!"

"I shattered Peridot? No, Amethyst. WE shattered Peridot together."  
"What are you talking about?!"  
"Don't you get it? We are a team you and I. A fusion of masterminds with a defective body, screaming to break free!"

"We are NOT a team! We are complete and total opposites!"  
"And opposites attract. We disagree to agree. We are fire and ice. We are two worlds, two universes melded into one being! We may be different but we are more similar than you can imagine!"

"What?"  
"An opposite relationship is the best kind of them all. Our differences are what causes us to indulge in our similarities. Why else would I choose to be with you? I gave up my legacy for you and I knew that I would be destroyed, trapped in your mind."

I raise my eyebrow. "I don't get it."  
"You don't have to get anything. It's quite obvious actually. None of this is of your intent? No. This is of OUR intent! You are just like me! And I am so much like you! You want to be powerful and I want to be powerful. Why do we fight for all this power?"

"Because I hate you and I don't want anything to do with you!"  
"Oh really? Amethyst, you were mine from the very beginning. You have EVERYTHING to do with me! And aren't we a lot like Malachite?"  
"NO! STOP!" I slam my hand onto the wood of the porch.

"I have brought you my power and you have given me yours. We must share this power equally. Come on, Amethyst. Let us stop this tomfoolery and actually be something extroadinary and unstoppable!"  
"ENOUGH!" I tumble down the stairs and I hit the ground.


	29. Town

I sit up, pressing a hand against my forehead, groaning. I look out to the beach. I get up and I start walking towards the boardwalk. I look down at my right hand, a hand that I have done many things with.

So many things. It sparks for a moment before it dissapates. I look back up to the ocean and I continue heading towards it. I turn my head to the right to face the old town buildings. 

The windows are shattered and pieces of signs crash down into the boardwalk, dripping with water. I smile a sad smile at one sign in particular with a fish on it. I chuckle, looking down at it. "Fish Stew Pizza." I sigh. 

"Good times." I turn to the other buildings. I can see some that I think I've been to before. "The fry place?" I move over to the small counter at the window. I place my hands on it and I gaze into the darkness beyond the window. 

I look down with a frown. "Wait." I turn around. "This all reminds of...Steven." I head for Steven's favorite place to get a quick bite. I look up at The Big Donut sign and I put my hands on my hips. 

"Huh." I step into the building. Of course, no one is at the counter. I step over to it and I look at the what it has.  
"Hmm...chocolate, jelly, strawberry, peanut butter..." I climb over the counter and I open the case in front of me. 

I smile as I take all the donuts I can carry. I head out with them and I make my way towards the beach. I look up at the sky and I frown. "Well, maybe I can at least relax over at the beach." I step onto a road and I observe the rest of the town as I take a bite out of a chocolate donut.

There's no one nor any sign of someone around. I don't want to know what could've happened to the victims of the hurricane. MY hurricane. However, I'm afraid that the disturbing truth is rather obvious actually. I shudder at the thought of it.

I plant my shoes on the sand of the deserted beach. I reach down with a grunt to take my shoes off. I carry them with me over to the shoreline and I sit down by the waves pushing in and pulling out in their rhythm. 

I move my toes a bit in the sand and I chuckle. I then frown as I stare out into the horizon. The beach that I'm in right now isn't as innocent as it may appear. I did something bad. I beat Steven. First at a silly game and then...

I widen my eyes. "A fight to the death." I cover my mouth as I quickly look down at my feet. I can easily visualize the events on what happened at the bottom of the surface beyond the waves and the rushing tide.

I slugged him. Not only that but I...I! I k-k-killed h-h-h-him. I tear up and I shiver as a cold breeze whips my body. The grey sky turns dark. The wind starts picking up. I take another bite out of my donut as I look back out into the ocean.

The water ripples, causing the waves to rush at my feet. I crawl back a bit to avoid getting caught by them. The water turns pink. I raise an eyebrow. "What the heck is going on?" The water glows a vibrant pink. I back away further as the glow consumes the ocean.

"What is that in the water?!" I can make out a small figure. It's form becomes more and more clear as it approaches the surface. Finally, the surface breaks and a pink bubble reveals itself. "What the-!"

The bubble dissapates and a figure collapses a few feet away from me. I gasp as I drop the donuts. I rush over to the figure and I immediately stop inches away from it. I cover my mouth as I widen my eyes.

The figure groans as it moves it's head up to look at me. I detach my hands from my mouth. "Steven." Steven plants his hands firmly on the ground to give him leverage to get up. He stands up and he glares at me.

"Amethyst." I grit my teeth as he reproaches me. "Eheheheh. Steven, you're-you're back." I give him a weak smile and a shrug. He recieves it with a fixed glare. "Oh I'm back. But I'm not Steven."


	30. Return

My jaw drops as I take a step back. "What?! But Steven, you ARE Steven! What else could you possibly be?!" He looks down at himself. "Steven?" He puts a hand out and he stares at it. "What is...?" He clutches his shirt.

He yanks it out a bit for him to look at it. "A star? Wait." He narrows his eyes. "This looks like...Greg's old shirt." I fold my arms. "Uh, Steven, didn't you learn to respect your elders?"

Welp, there goes another thing Pearl would say. Honestly. Why am I feeling and acting more and more like Pearl every day? This doesn't make sense. Speaking of which, what is up with Steven? And how the heck is he still ALIVE?!

"I never wore this when I..." He looks up at me, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to me?" He looks back down at himself. "I look small...and pudgy...and younger than I remember. Didn't I wear some sort of dress or something?"

He puts his hands on his hips. I raise my eyebrow. "Uh...are you okay, Steven?" Steven growls. "I'M! NOT! STEVEN! I'M ROSE QUARTZ! THE LEADER OF THE CRYSTAL GEM ARMY BACK DURING THE REBELLION WHO GAVE UP HER EXISTENCE JUST TO BE...woah."

He puts his hands on his face. He moves his hands on it. "Hold on a minute. Am I...Steven?" I facepalm. "Okay, Steven, who are you?" Steven contemplates to himself. "I think I'm... Steven." I want to pull my hair out. I want to scream. I yank Steven's hair and he yells in agony.

"Ow Ow Ow! HEY!" He smacks my hand away and he presses his hand on his hair. "No curls? How...I don't get...what happened." He groans as he brings his hands back down. "I was just in the ocean and..." He quickly looks around and then he looks right back at me.

"YOU!" He points a finger at me. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I grit my teeth as he jabs his finger into my gem. I back away as Steven glares at me. "I...I don't know."  
"YOU DON'T KNOW?! Oh, please tell me my gem is still there!"

He lifts up his shirt and he looks down at his stomache. "Phew. Okay." He breathes in relief and he lets go of his shirt, letting it drop back down over his stomache. He clears his throat. "Amethyst, where's Pearl and Garnet? I need to speak with them immediately.

I clench my teeth, widening my eyes. What do I do? What do I say? Steven doesn't remember what happened and I guess he thinks he's Rose or something? I don't know. But what I should say? 

Should I go "Sorry, Rose, I shattered Pearl which caused Garnet to split apart, allowing everything to go into chaos. Plus, I even saved Homeworld Gems and we reformed them. I'm even in a romantic relationship with a Ruby thanks to my actions."? Of course not! That would make her flip!

Wait, maybe I can fix all of this! I just need to bring back Garnet somehow...  
or I can just leave them as Ruby and Sapphire. She knows them and she would understand. Unless, they blurt out what actually happened. Ruby wants my neck. She'll blow it for sure!

But besides that, Pearl will be my biggest issue. I gulp. Luckily, there is another Pearl around. Yellow. She'll be much more willing to help me out. But that is only if...if...I can't. I can't do that to her! But...what other choice do I have?

If that really is Rose's concious in Steven's body, then that could only spell doomsday for me. And everyone else. Oh, what do I do? Steven taps his sandal on the sand. "Amethyst?!" I grit my teeth for a moment before I finally speak.

"They're at the barn! Pearl is away, but Ruby and Sapphire-!"  
"Ruby and Sapphire? Those two would never split apart. That is...unless something really bad happened." My face starts sweating. Man, I want to fight him but...I can't do it. Not again.

"They had a big argument over... something. They wouldn't talk to me about it."  
"Aha. Okay then. Can I at least talk to Ruby and Sapphire?"  
"Well of course you can! They would be more than happy to see you!" 

I try to give him my best smile. "Okay then, lead on, Amethyst. Take me to this...barn you speak of."  
"Yes, Steven." She groans. "I'm not Steven, Amethyst. I'm Rose."  
"In Steven's body. I can't tell you two apart."

"Hmm...Amethyst, I don't remember you wearing that hideous uniform. Didn't you wear some cute dress or something?"  
"Uh...rushed regeneration." He starts walking away, rolling his eyes. "Let's go, Amethyst." I rush after him.


	31. Bleeding

Steven is back...or is it Rose? Either way, they're back and we're all doomed. The only way I can get out of such a mess would simply be betrayal. Betrayal of beliefs. Betrayal of family. And ultimately, betrayal of love. 

All of my mistakes have been building up to this. The dark clouds continue to rumble in the sky as we make our way to the warp pad. Steven gasps and he dashes past me. He stops in front of the temple.

"No." He proceeds with caution, looking down at his feet. He grits his teeth. "A house used to be here?" He grabs the door handle and he pushes the door open. He enters with me right behind him. He looks around. "This looks so...depressing."

He reaches down to pick up a piece of burned, broken wood. He gazes into it. He presses a hand on it and he yells, dropping the wood. He squeezes his hand with his other. He tears up as the teardrops land on the palm of his hand. He winces as the water slips through the small cuts.

"Ah!" A string of blood trails down from the cuts. "What is this?" He narrows his eyes on the strand. "I feel like I've seen this somewhere before."  
He presses a thumb on the cut and a drop of blood pours out of the cut. "Gah!"

He turns back to me. "Amethyst, why aren't my tears working?!"  
"Uh...maybe that's because you need to use your spit?" He raises his eyebrow. "My...spit?" He looks back down at the palm of his hand.

"Uh..." He spits his saliva onto the cut and he winces for a moment. "Hmph! Nothing. Huh?" Suddenly the cuts fade, leaving the blood behind by itself. "Woah. I didn't know that he would be this...different."

He stares at the blood with somber eyes. "But...what even happened to him? What caused me to come back like this? Aren't I supposed to be...me? Why...aren't I me?" I walk up to him as he looks up. "Can you explain this, Amethyst?"

Great! Another story. What should I say? How did Rose become Steven or how did Steven become Rose? Even I don't know how that happened. I guess I'll just have to put it bluntly as "Rose, I have no idea how any of that happened to you."

Steven glares at me. "Do you know what happened to me?" He takes a step towards me. "You didn't look so thrilled to see him." Uh-oh.  
"Well, I was a bit...shaky before you arrived."  
"And what destroyed this place?"

"It's all your fault." I turn around, curling my hands into fists. I grit my teeth as I look upon...nothing. "Amethyst?" I turn back around. "A hurricane came by and destroyed it along with the rest of Beach City." He looks down. "Oh."

"You see, back when...Steven was himself, when you weren't here, the Gems and I built a house for Steven to move into. We wanted things to look more...at home for him. Steven turns away as he heads towards the warp pad.

He presses his left hand against the wall. "This place used to be a home...for Steven. How could a hurricane change all of that? Or could it have been something more?" He balls his other hand into a fist. He looks down. "Homeworld!" He whips his body around to face me.

Tears stream down his cheeks. His face turning a light shade of red. He grits his teeth so hard, I can hear them grind and crack in his anguish. His eyes are bloodshot and his face scrunches as he stomps a foot down on the wood.

"Homeworld did this! Why else would they destroy this place! My home! His home! Our home! They must've sent a Red Eye to destroy the whole town! I'll...I'll make them pay!" He turns back around to face the warp pad. "Don't worry, Amethyst. The Crystal Gems will avenge my son."

He storms onto the warp pad and he turns around, snapping his fingers. "Amethyst." I step onto the warp pad. "Take me to Ruby and Sapphire. If Homeworld wants another war, then they just asked for it." I gulp and I warp him away with me.


	32. Locked

A vengeful Rose Quartz and an Amethyst appear on the warp pad's surface near the old barn now used as a hideout for Homeworld refugees including what's left of the Crystal Gems. I step off the warp pad and I motion Rose to follow me.

Luckily, no one is outside right now. Steven follows suit with me as I lead him towards the hidden settlement of Ruby and Sapphire down by the woods. I look around and I notice a Ruby standing by, facing the opposite direction.

Steven keeps his eyes on me as we make our way over towards the cabin. I can see it just up ahead. Now I gotta think of a way to get Ruby and Sapphire on my side. It's not going to be easy, but I'll think of something.

I step onto the porch with him right alongside me. "They live here? In a small wooden house?" I roll my eyes as I knock on the door. After a minute of no response, I press my finger against a button which is generally assumed to have been the doorbell.

Within a few moments, the door opens, revealing Sapphire. "Amethyst, we-!" She covers her mouth as she stares at Steven. She rushes up to him and she embraces him. "Steven!" Steven doesn't smile. "Sapphire, I'm not Steven." She immediately lets go of him.

"What?! But you are Steven!"  
"No! I'm not, Sapphire! Don't you remember me?! I'm Rose!" Sapphire turns to me, putting her hands on her hips. She leans towards me and she whispers. "Amethyst, what did you do to him?"

I whisper back. "I didn't do anything to him. I just knocked his head into the bubble and...do you think I gave him some sort of concussion? Like some strange form of amnesia?"  
"I think you did. Listen, we need to talk. Meet me upstairs."

I nod to her. "But Steven wanted to see you and Ruby."  
"Well, that's going to have to wait. Come with me." She motions me inside. Steven closes the door behind us once we're all inside. Steven folds his arms.

"Alright. Sapphire, bring Ruby down. We need to talk." Sapphire turns to face Steven. "I can't. Wait in the living room for right now. We'll talk later." Steven huffs as he heads into the living room.

I follow Sapphire up the stairs. She stops at Ruby's locked bedroom door and she turns to face me. "What is this, Amethyst?"  
"What is what?"  
"Why is this door locked?"  
"Uh..." I grit my teeth, looking away.

"You know someone's in here, right?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Amethyst!" She puts her hand out. "The key." I glare at her as I dig a hand into my pocket. I pull out the key and I drop it into her hand.

She grips the key. "Why did you do that? This room doesn't belong to you." I smirk, folding my arms. "Yeah, it's not mine. It's Ruby's."  
"Yes, it is. Listen, I helped you get this room to save you. I never did this out of malicious intentions."

She inserts the key into the lock. "Now you're going to tell me why you locked this door or she's going to answer that for me."  
"Fine!" I huff. "I locked that door because we had an argument." 

Sapphire facepalms. "You've gotta be joking." I shake my head. "I needed to get away from her for a while. So I locked her inside."  
"That's not the relationship I'd like to be a part of. Don't you see what you're doing?"

I look away from her. "You are starting what is known to be an abusive relationship. You two are becoming something that has the potential to be something far worse than Malachite."  
"How's that?"

"Because the monster inside of you is ten times worse than you two could be alone." I turn back to her. "I wouldn't have even met her had it not been for Eloc and that shattering."  
"And if you haven't had met Eloc, none of this would be happening right now and Pearl would still be alive."

My face scrunches up with tension. "If I didn't have the heart to spare you, you would've been shattered by now." Sapphire scoffs as I cover my mouth. "If Garnet didn't have the slightest bit of mercy to spare you, you would've been the one to be shattered, not me!"

I grit my teeth and I squint my eyes for a moment. I open them back up and I facepalm, groaning. "Look, I need your help and I need you two to cooperate with me." Sapphire folds her arms. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"To protect the barn. I have a bad feeling Rose's concious has taken over Steven's body and he's threaten to shatter every Homeworld Gem he sees." Sapphire looks back at the locked door. "This door is going to save her existence. So it needs to stay locked in order for it to do just that."

Sapphire grits her teeth as she pulls the key from the lock before she hands it back to me. "Okay." I lose the tension as I take a breath. I put the key back into my pocket and I turn to Sapphire's bedroom door. "Let's go find Ruby and let's put on a show."


	33. Deals

Sapphire knocks on her bedroom door. After a few moments, Sapphire looks through the small crack in between the door and the wall. "Hm...she doesn't seem to be in there." Sapphire grips the knob and she turns it as she pushes, grunting. 

"Yet this door is locked." Another door opens nearby and a figure steps out into the hall. She turns to face us, smirking. "Trying to get into my stuff again are we now?" I turn to face Ruby. She has the key hanging around her neck, connected by a string of rope.

She points at the key with a big smile on her face. "You see this?" I glare at her. "This is the key to Sapphire's room. And you're not getting in there anymore without me. You take everything away from me, ha! I'll make sure I do the exact same thing to you."

Sapphire grits her teeth as Ruby hums a tune. I look back at Ruby's bedroom door. "However, we can make an exchange if you want. Your key for my key. What do you say?" Ruby folds her arms. I approach Ruby. "I'm not going to make any exchanges with you. I want to make...a deal with you."

Ruby raises her eyebrow. "A deal?" I nod. "You heard me. A deal."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I'm making more than just a simple trade."  
"What are you willing to pay for this deal?"

A silent pause takes over the hall. "Sapphire." Sapphire slaps me in my left cheek. "I meant Sapphire's forgiveness." Sapphire whispers in my ear. "Excuse me, Amethyst! I've never agreed to being the prize of a deal here!"

"Sapphire, I can't just hand her the key to her room! She wants you a whole lot more. This time, we're going take serious risks to protect this barn and our family. We must gamble and play the game. But we have to be very careful not to fail."

"Amethyst, this game is going to last forever! Rose will never leave!"  
"I'll...I'll think of something. I just need some time. At least a week or two. Maybe three."  
"This better work. I'll shatter you if it doesn't."  
"Fair enough."

Sapphire approaches Ruby. "Yes, Ruby. I'll forgive you if you can give Amethyst what she wants."  
"And what may I ask could that possibly be? This key?" She points at the key again. "No, Ruby. That's not it."  
"Then what is?"

"Ruby, you need to cover for me along with Sapphire."  
"What?!" We shush her. "Cover you?! From whom?!"  
"Steven." Ruby puts her hands out in disbelief. "Steven?! But he's dead!"

"Well it turns out that he's returned and he wants revenge on every Homeworld Gem left in existence."  
"That would be Lapis, Jasper and...  
Eyeball."  
"That can include Bismuth too since she was bubbled by Rose."

"You mean Steven." I facepalm. "Ugh! Long story short, Steven has contracted amnesia and he thinks that he's Rose. What's worse is that he could really be her right now."  
"Okay, I'm confused."

"Ruby, Amethyst needs you to lie to him with me. If his memory has been wiped by Rose's, then we can make up a lie to defend her."  
"What are the chances of success, Sapphire?"

"Well..." She looks down. "We have a shot, but if we mess up, we're going to fail. There are so many possibilities that could lead to that."  
"I'm taking my chances and so are you guys. We aren't just doing this for me but for everyone else's protection as well."

Ruby sighs. "You've got yourself a deal." I hold up a finger. "But, there's an additional catch." Ruby glares at me. "What else?"  
"As long as this pact is in effect, so will everything that comes with it. If it were to be ceased, then so will those things."

"So in other words, if we mess up on our part, then I would lose Sapphire or if you screw up, you would lose your cover?"  
"Something like that, yes." Ruby puts a hand out. "Deal." I grab her hand and we shake on it.

"Alright. We're going to go downstairs and you two are going to talk to Steven. I'm going to be in there with you guys, but part of me believes that Steven won't let me in on much of the conversation. All you two need to do is play your roles in our deal. If you say anything that could blow my cover, the deal's off."

I put a hand out again on the opposite of my hand. Ruby puts her hand on my mine and Sapphire hesitates for a moment before she does the same. "Ready?" They nod. We retract our hands. "Let's do this." We start heading down the stairs.


	34. Conversation

The plan is about to be set in motion. We reach the bottom floor and we turn to face the living room. Steven is patiently waiting on the couch, taking a sip out of a coffee mug. "Is he seriously drinking coffee right now?!"  
"That's Rose for ya."

I step ahead of them. "Alright. Follow my lead." I motion them to do so and they follow me into the living room. Steven takes another sip before he carefully sets the mug back down onto the table. "Is Ruby and Sapphire here, Amethyst?"

"Yes."  
"Show them to me."  
I step aside to reveal the two Gems.  
"Well then..." He claps his hands twice. "That will be all."  
I raise an eyebrow. "What?"  
Steven raises his own eyebrow. "What do you mean what?"

Sapphire turns to me. "He wants you to leave us. Wait in the hallway." I nod. "Okay. Good luck." I step out of the room and I hide behind the wall in between the living room and the front door. "Ruby and Sapphire. My two..." He sniffs. "Precious angels of love. It's been...it's been so long."

"Yes, it has been."  
"It's so nice to see you guys again after all these years."  
"It's nice to see you too, Rose."  
There is a pause. "So you really are Rose, huh?"

"Yes, it appears that I am. Sapphire, can you explain to me how and why this happened?"  
"Well...uh, Rose, it appears that...your concious has replaced Steven's and-!"  
"Yes, yes. Of course. I heard the same story multiple times. I want to know why I was in the ocean."

"Uh...you were with us...on a boat. A storm took reign over the ocean and the tides had risen over us all. You were with us and Amethyst when it happened. Steven wanted to help get the boat to safety. But...you were carried away by the waves and...you were gone."

"Huh. Okay. Then why was I bleeding and how did my mind replace my son's?" I wince. Oh geez. Another awkward pause. "Well...you were...  
attacked by someone. A Gem. She was blue and she was...a Homeworld Gem. She beat you down and she sent you into the ocean before she could take you to her Diamond."

My jaw drops. "Do you know her name?"  
"Her name...is Lapis. Lapis Lazuli."  
"Lapis...I heard that those Gems are terraformers. They are used to shape and transform planets to make them suitable for other Gems. Which is why they are very powerful."

Another pause. "And dangerous." I grit my teeth. "Where's her gem placed?"  
"On her back."  
"Hmm...so she's on Earth?"  
"Correct."  
"We need to find her."  
"Why?"

"I just told you why!"  
"But she only attacked because..."  
"Because what? Because I'm Rose Quartz?!"  
"No! You...you..."  
"Nothing, huh?"  
I'm assuming that Ruby and Sapphire nodded on that. "Well then..."

He summons his sheild. "We're going to go find her. We're going to poof her and bubble her back in the temple and then...we're going harvest her."  
I widen my eyes. "Rose, I think that's a bit too far now don't you think?"

"Excuse me?! I'm Rose Quartz! I formed the Crystal Gems and you shouldn't question me or any of my decisions!"  
"But-!"  
"I've made up my mind!" I hear his voice shaking. "We're going to hunt her down. Tomorrow."

"Yes, Rose."  
"Good." There is a pause. "Now then, I want a nice, cooked meal. I'm tired and I want to get ready for the hunt. Who cooks the food?"  
"Ruby generally does the cooking."  
"Why don't you both try whipping something up together?"

"Well...I don't think that's such a good idea."  
"Why not?"  
"Oh! It's nothing! It's just that when it comes to cooking, we let ourselves do that alone so we don't mess each other up."

"Well I think you two should give it a try. Please, do it for each other. Maybe it could help you two understand each other enough to...forgive each other."  
"Y-Yes. Of course, Rose."

"And uh about Amethyst, she's not really acting like herself. Maybe it's just me, but I think something's up with her. Just...please keep a close eye on her for me."  
"We will."  
"Thanks." I narrow my eyes as he claps his hands twice.

"That will be all." I ball my hands into fists as I turn to the door. I grab the doorknob and I turn it. I quickly open the door and I carefully close it on my way out. I step off the porch and I start rushing towards the barn.


	35. Backlash

Ruby and Sapphire did exactly what I told them to do. They covered for me to buy me some time. However, it worked a little too well for they have decided to transfer the blame over to Lapis. They've put her in danger. I'VE put her danger.

My only goal now is to get everyone to safety before Rose wakes up tomorrow, hungry for a false revenge. At least with Peridot out of the way, I won't have to deal with her nor would she have to deal with any of this garbage. She's safe, but everyone else isn't.

I pant as I rush towards the barn. I immediately slide the barn door open and I blush, gritting my teeth. Jasper pulls away from Bismuth, her eyes widening. "Do you mind?!" I facepalm for a moment with a groan. "Sorry."  
"What is it, Amethyst?"

I look down at the ground. "Can I come in?" Jasper folds her arms with a sigh. "Close the door." I step inside and I slide the door shut. "What's wrong?" I turn to face them with a death glare. "She's back." They raise their eyebrows. "Who?"

I pant as I clutch my stomache. "Amethyst, are you okay?"  
"You should sit down." Jasper gets up and she steps up to my body to support it against the door. "It's happening too fast."

Bismuth gets up, folding her arms. "What is?" I gulp. "I don't know how or why she is but-!"  
"JUST SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" Jasper shakes me for a moment as my eyes well up. "R-Ro-Rose." Jasper lets go of me and I collapse on my face. 

"Rose is back?!" I lift my head to see Bismuth and Jasper exchanging looks. "I thought she was shattered. If not, at least gone into hiding for the rest of her existence."

"No way. Nothing could take down Rose. Even I failed to do that! Not even once have I ever won a battle back during the war against her army or her tactics." She looks down at me. "So wait? Are you saying that Rose is here at the barn? Right now?!"

I nod as I get up. "I can't let her find me like this! If she realizes that I'm out of my bubble, she'll just throw me into another one! And chances are, I won't be coming back from that!"  
"Why would she remember?"  
"I'm the only Crystal Gem that fought Rose!"

"Oh." Jasper contemplates to herself as Bismuth paces back and forth with her hands behind her back, gritting her teeth. I take a deep breath to help me think clearly. "Hmm...uh, maybe you guys can go hide or something?"  
Bismuth stops pacing. She lifts her head up as she snaps her fingers.

"Of course! The bunkers!" I raise my eyebrow. "The what?" Bismuth turns to us and she smiles. "Amethyst, the bunkers were the protection grounds for all the Gems that fought during the war! I was in one of them! They're basically passageways that lead to rooms upon rooms underground!"

Jasper nods, smiling. "Yeah. Yeah, we can do that!" She holds a finger up. "They're all over Earth in various locations as far as one could tell! There had to have been an entranceway placed near each battlefield! If we can find one, we can explore the many corridors and find some lost equipment!"

"We can gather more material to use at the Forge! It's perfect! But..." She frowns. "Why is Rose here anyway? How did she..." Her voice trails off as she stares at me. "Amethyst." She glares. I look down at the ground. "You're kidding me, right?"

I look back up at Jasper and Bismuth as they stare at me. "Really? You're telling us to run even though we clearly stand a chance against her. I mean, don't we have like four of us and three of them plus that yellow Pearl and platoon of Rubies?"

"Uh...um..." I look away from them. "Why are we flighting?! We should be fighting!" I turn away from them as I press my right hand against the door. "We can't fight him-I mean her!"  
"Him? Wait. You mean the child?"  
I gulp. "Yeah."

A tangerine hand slams against the door next to mine. "Amethyst, we can't run away from this forever."  
"But the last time I pulverized him, I nearly killed him. Then he comes back thinking he's Rose. The blood, the look on his face. The aggression."

"You don't want to go through that again, huh?"  
"No, I don't want to."  
"Amethyst, sooner or later, you're gonna have to confront him again. The longer we wait, the worse this will become later."

"I don't want to hurt anyone else. I've hurt so many innocent...life forms."  
"I didn't want to hurt anyone either. But when you're in a war, you have to stand up, wipe those tears..." She wipes my eyes with her thumb. "And fight for what you know is right." Jasper puts a hand on my back. 

"We'll buy you some time. But you have to promise me that you will learn to overcome this and that you will be prepared to take him out. Also, you will not spare him this time." I stare at the door until finally I sigh, detaching my hand from the door. I turn to face her. "Alright."


	36. Battlefield

Jasper slides open the barn door a bit to take a peek. She turns her head towards us. "No one's around. We can sneak over to the warp pad and get as far away from here as we possibly can." Bismuth and I nod before Jasper motions us forward.

"Let's go." We follow her out and we start to jog down towards the warp pad. We keep our mouths shut, to resist panting. We don't look back as we make a run for it. We step onto the warp pad and we let our mouths go to pant. "Amethyst."

I put a hand out and our forms dissipate in the tunnel of light. "Rose better not have seen that. It could jeopardize our escape!" Jasper looks around. "Huh. I haven't really been in one of these things before."

"Just keep your arms, legs and feet inside at all times while on board the warp tunnel." I smile, expecting a reaction. Bismuth and Jasper stare at me with stern expressions. "Eheheh. Aw, come on, guys. That was a...never mind." I look down with a pained blush.

I put out a hand and I view an old, familiar sight. "The Strawberry Battlefield." Jasper starts marching down the path as Bismuth sightsees, wandering around herself. I rush up to Jasper as she stops in her tracks.

She kneels down on one knee. "This place..." She turns her head to the side to face me. She locks her eye on mine. "How did you know?" I look around as giant swords and axes shine from the moonlight. "The Gems brought me here."

"Only one Gem could've brought you here."  
"What do you mean?" Jasper gets up with a grunt. "The warps work in the mental sense. Meaning that the warp connects to whatever you think about. Whatever you desire. Where you wish to go of all places."

"I just remembered this place and..." My voice trails off. "Warping doesn't have to come out of demand. It can come out of longing, out of necessity, out of closure." I take a few steps forward before I plant my shoes where they stand.

"Why did you send us here, Amethyst?" My eyes well up. There was a time in which Pearl took me here with her. It was the same time of day during the same time of need. Pearl's voice echoes in my head as I look upon an old memory which has been realized.

"Amethyst, you weren't here when it happened...but, this place...is where we lost the war. We survived...but we lost. You see, I value this place not because of the result, but because of the event that took place."  
"So you value this place because..."

"Because Rose...she told us...never to give up. No matter what. We lost almost everyone during this time of war. It was also the very last time...we...saw..." Pearl sniffs. "Before..." She sits down and she covers her face. I sit down next to her.

"Rose told us that if we win, we can never go back home. And so...we did just that. But we didn't just win here."  
I face her in the memory. "You lost the war?" Pearl grits her teeth. "Amethyst, in some ways, we also won that too."  
"How?"

"We didn't give up. We fought Homeworld until we couldn't anymore. Unlike us, they would've simply retreated back to their base. That isn't what deserves victory. Resilience is what truly deserves victory! Not running away, but staying to fight and serve and protect."

She detaches her hands from her face to reveal tear streaks on her cheeks. She blushes. "Sorry. It's just..." She grabs her right arm, looking down. "I want you to know that there could be a time in which you would feel like running away instead to facing the situation head-on."

I inch closer towards Pearl. "I know you would do that though because...  
you're like me in a way. You're scared and you don't want to face the facts on certain things. It can be something that you've done before that you couldn't even consider pulling off a second time." 

She releases a low chuckle. "But you know what? You'll feel really good about it afterward. It doesn't matter what it is. All that matters is that it will be over and everything will be okay again when it is. You just gotta know the difference between what's right and what isn't." I nod and I sigh, closing my eyes.


	37. Bunkers

I put a hand out to the Pearl inside my memory in a veil of illusion. The memory fades as she turns her head towards me. My arm fixes itself on where it is, hanging in mid-air. "Amethyst?" I put my arm down and I look down at the hand connected to it.

A hand touches my shoulder and I gasp, whipping my body around to face a tired, somber Jasper. "Is something wrong?" I can feel a tear sliding down on my right cheek. I immediately wipe it away. "N-No, Jasper! Nothing's wrong." 

Jasper groans inward as she turns to look behind her. "BISMUTH!" Bismuth looks up and she quickly turns to face her. "YEAH, JASPER?!"  
"WE NEED TO FIND A WAY INTO THE BUNKERS OF THIS BATTLEFIELD! THAT MEANS STOP SIGHTSEEING AND LET'S ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ALREADY!"

Bismuth glares at her. "JASPER, IT COULD TAKE US DAYS TO FIND ONE ENTRYWAY! MAYBE EVEN A WEEK! I DON'T KNOW!" Jasper facepalms. "Well, we don't have all night! Rose is gonna be coming for us and if we don't find a place to hide soon, we're in big trouble!"

She turns to look down at me as she puts her hands on her hips. "I don't suppose you could help us out?" I put a hand to my chin, looking down. "Hmm..." I smile. "Actually, I think I got something. Better yet, a plan."

"So what's the plan?"  
"Bismuth has been in a bunker before and so have you. Weren't you guys like important back during the war?"  
"Well, yeah. We were Generals."  
"Shouldn't you know how bunker placement works then?"

"Mm, True. Let's see. Homeworld would place their bunkers in areas that involve the best defense, so it has be very well hidden from plain sight. I would say, behind a cluster of bushes and shrubbery."  
"Okay. But what about Bismuth?"  
"Should I call her over or-?"

"No. I'll go up to her." I dash up to Bismuth and I skid to a stop in front of her. "Whoa! Amethyst, watch where you're rushing! Back during the war, a selective few got themselves shattered over bumping into random participants."

"Oh. Sorry about that, Bismuth."  
"It's alright. What do you want, Amethyst?" My throat feels a bit dry. I clear my throat before I resume. "I wanted to know how the Crystal Gems would've done bunker placement. You were a General back during the war, correct?"

"Until I was bubbled away for thousands of years, yes, I was."  
"Then you must know!"  
"Well, Rose's bunker placement isn't really the same as Homeworld's, but it's not really that much different either."   
"Where would the bunker be then?"

"Generally, Rose would take offense by leaving the bunker in plain sight for anyone to see. Crystal Gems could find it easily and so can Homeworld. We leave traps down below to take out whoever's coming. This was the very last battle I fought in."

She narrows her eyes. "And then we lost. I wasn't able to stick around to see their trust and determination shatter before their very eyes. Speaking of which, I could've shattered whatever was left to beat myself!" She pounds the ground in front of her.

I hear a metallic sound. I gape down at the ground below Bismuth and I. "The bunker." I turn to Jasper. She is staring off into the field. Her eyes glisten with tears welling from within them. Her fists shake as she squints her eyes shut.

"JASPER!" Jasper looks up, abruptly opening her eyes. She quickly turns her head around. "WE FOUND THE BUNKER!" Jasper raises her eyebrow before she darts over to where Bismuth and I are. Bismuth grunts as she lifts open the heavy metal door leading underground.

The door clangs as it lands on the other side, exposing the entrance. We stare down into the abyss below us. "We should've taken a Ruby hostage." I hold up a finger. "OR..." My hand sparks for a moment as I put it out in front of Jasper and Bismuth. "You really just needed me." 

I point my thumb at myself, smiling. "Uh...Amethyst?" I groan, narrowing my eyes. "What?!" Jasper points at my hand. "Are you really sure you can hold that for the ENTIRE time we're down there?"  
"I don't know."  
"YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

Bismuth shushes her. "Jasper, we don't need to yell right now. Especially when we have Rose to worry about who can hear us miles away from where we are right now!"  
Jasper folds her arms. "Let's just hope we can find some light down there. Alright. Light 'em up, Amethyst!"

My hands spark once more and without hesitating, I jump into the darkness. "Let's go." Jasper jumps in next followed by Bismuth. They land on the dirt with a grunt. A hand touches my shoulder. "Lead on." I nod and I start heading down the corridor.


	38. Corridors

I lead Jasper and Bismuth into the tunnel, forcing my hand to spark without it going out. It's our only light source. Without it, we can't see. If Eyeball was here, she could've used her gem as a flashlight. But I locked her inside Ruby's bedroom back inside the cabin sooo...yeah.

"I can't believe this is still standing! And after all these years!" Bismuth chuckles. "Jasper, we should make this place our new home!"  
"How are we gonna do that?"  
"It's simple! First, we'll need to gather some basic supplies such as torches and stone maybe a bit of wood."

"Couldn't we just use whatever's down here? I mean, this was actually a bunker and not just a hiding ground, right?"  
"Yeah, we could. But really though, I think this place could use a bit of refurbishment."

I hear a crunching sound from above. "Shh!" I stop in my tracks and I look around. "Guys, do you hear something?" The sound trails away and I proceed in the corridor with caution. "Something tells me we're not alone."

"You mean like...a surviving member of the Crystal Gem army who was trapped in this bunker for thousands of years since the battle ended?"  
"Maybe. Let's just hope that the Gem won't be that big of a threat to us."  
Jasper groans as I look down at my hand.

The spark is weakening. I grit my teeth as I charge up the spark again to regain more light. I motion Jasper and Bismuth forward. "This way." I turn to a long corridor on my right. I look around to see if there are any doorposts around.

"Did any of these rooms have doors, Bismuth?"  
"Nah, we just carved out empty spaces of dirt. I pitched in to help make one of these things alongside a few Quartz soldiers before the battle began."

"Didn't you have a room here?"  
"Of course I do! Everyone did including Rose! And Pearl! And Garnet too! We even..." Bismuth snickers. "We even kept two seperate rooms next to hers for Ruby and Sapphire!" She burst out laughing.

"Oh man! If only we brought those two along to see the looks on their faces!" I notice a few empty spaces on the walls which I assume lead to it's own room. "Is your room in this corridor?"  
"Hm...maybe?"

I facepalm and the light goes out as I yell. "AMETHYST, THE LIGHT!" I quickly charge up my hand again and the light returns as I pant. "That was a close one. Come on." I motion them forward again and I start to run down the corridor.

They dart behind me for I can hear the crunching of the dirt beneath their boots. "How far is your room, Bismuth?!"  
"If I remember correctly, we should take a left..." I make a sharp turn into the next corridor. "Then a right turn about...here!" 

I follow her directions and I start to notice a chest inside each room. "Are these the rooms?!"  
"Yes! But we're getting closer to mine! It's not that far off now!" We pant as the tunnel grows darker and darker each passing second.

"Okay! Go...right!" I take a right turn as I can feel sweat pouring down my forehead. "Be careful going downstairs!" I look down at my feet, watching each foot take a step deeper into the bunker. "Go right!" The spaces are starting to limit down to a minimum.

"My room should be right around here! Maybe four or five rooms down!" I notice a door and I widen my eyes. I skid to a stop and I pant, clutching the doorknob. "Wait a minute." Bismuth and Jasper stop behind me.

I stare at the wooden door ahead of me. "This door..." I turn the knob and the door opens. I step into the room. I hold my hand out as I look around. "What is..." I take slow, cautious steps. "Bismuth, is this your room?" The door closes behind me.

I gasp and the light in my hand goes out. "Bismuth? Jasper?" No response. I spark my hand again and I move it up to a face. "Put your hand DOWN!" She grabs my hand as I gape. A beam of light flashes into my face. I sheild my eyes with my other hand.

"You just stepped into my hands."  
"Why are YOU here?!"  
"Because, Amethyst, I can easily track you down with the simple touch of a button." I hear a thumb press against a button. "It wasn't that hard. Tracking devices always help to find those that are feeling yellow!"


	39. Pursued

Yellow smirks down at me as I glare up at her. "Why do you want me so badly?!" Yellow drops the smirk and she sighs. "Amethyst, can't you see that I'm doing this for your own benefit?"  
"What?! How is THIS benefitting me?"

Yellow narrows her eyes on me. "Well, perhaps you could use a little persuasion."  
"Huh-?!" Yellow pierces my lips and I widen my eyes. I shove her away from me. I pant as she gets up. "Wh-What is wrong with you?!"

She grits her teeth. "Amethyst, just let me-!" I zap her and she grunts as I dash for the door. I clutch the knob and I turn it to swing the door open. I dart to my left and I don't stop. "YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM ME! I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE!" Yellow growls as I hurry up the stairs.

I pant as Yellow fires rays of light at me from her spear. I pull out a whip from my gem and I hurl it at her with a grunt. She jumps out of the way as I start to run down the next corridor. I turn my head just in time to see Yellow hurling her spear towards me.

I gasp as I jump up. I flip backwards as the spear passes below me. I spin dash as soon as I land on the ground to get better distance between us. "JUST GIVE UP ALREADY! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU ANYMORE!" Her voice strains in anguish as she chases me.

I zap the ground above me and dirt crashes down on Yellow. She coughs, squinting her eyes as I make a left turn into the next corridor. "AMETHYST, DON'T MAKE ME!" Her footsteps aren't that far behind and neither is the light. I pull out another whip and I hurl it at her.

Yellow slashes her spear clean through the rope and she keeps going. I zap the ceiling again...but the target doesn't cough this time. Her footsteps grow quieter and quieter as she moves in a different direction. The light grows dimmer and dimmer as well. 

I start to slow down, clutching my stomache. I hyperventilate as I stumble down the corridor. I make a right turn and I spark my hand for light. I pant as I proceed with caution. Where's Bismuth and Jasper? They were here with me before Yellow came along.

Are they okay? What happened to them? My footsteps crunch in the dirt as I head for the exit. I start to jog down towards it as the light returns. The sparks in my hand vanish and I break into a run once more. "SEE?! I TOLD YOU I'D FIND YOU!" I growl at her as she fires another round of rays at me.

I turn to my left and then my right after a few feet. "JUST COME ALONG QUIETLY! STOP RUNNING AND WE WON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" I zap behind me and I duck as the blast rebounds from her spear. My head starts to hurt as I keep running.

I turn to my left and I hurry down the next corridor. Suddenly, Yellow grabs me by the the wrist and I scream. "Stop...fighting...me!" I bite her arm and she yelps in agony. My eyes well up as I start to lose my sanity in the endless chase.

Why did I have to come here? Why did I have to shut Eyeball out? I really wish she was here with me right now. I wish we didn't argue. I wish I never went to the beach today. I wish I never met Yellow and most of all, I wish NONE of this ever happened!

I growl as I curl my hands into fists. My hands spark and charge up in my fury. I slam my fist into the wall on my left with a yell. The corridor starts to rumble and Yellow gasps. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" I smirk as I turn to my right. I need to find the entrance before Yellow does. 

If she gets there first, it's all over. I take a left turn and my eyes light up. The exit! I smile as I rush up to the hole. I jump out of the bunker with a grunt. I rush over to the metal door. I lift it up with a grunt. "AMETHYST! DON'T YOU DARE!" I continue to lift the door up as Yellow's footsteps get louder and louder. 

I shake my head as I let go of the door. "I WILL FIND YOU ONCE MORE! THIS ISN'T OVER!" It slams itself shut with a crashing boom just as soon as a yellow eye stabs at my purple one. I stumble backwards, panting. I turn away from the door and I rush down towards the warp pad without taking a second glance.


	40. Taunt

This night couldn't possibly get anymore hectic than it is right now. I can't believe Yellow has been stalking me this whole time! But how on Earth did she track me down? Wait, didn't she mention tracking devices? But...  
how did she...?!

No. She couldn't have. Was she there during that night right after she took over the barn? I widen my eyes as I continue to gasp for breath in the tunnel of light. What did she do to me? Where's the device? I need to get rid of it! I need to hide myself! But...how?!

I put a hand out and I appear at the barn. I gasp as I spot a figure in the distance. "Lapis!" Lapis backs away and she starts running. I glare at her as I hurry after her in pursuit. I pant as she dashes down the fields on her blue bare feet.

She makes a turn towards the lake. I have to warn her before it's too late. I can't let her leave my sight! I grit my teeth as I pick up the pace. She doesn't hesitate as she heads right for the water. She doesn't look back as she steps into it. "No!"

I make my way towards the lake as she dives in. With a splash...and a ripple...she's gone. I skid to an abrupt stop at the edge of the lake. I plant my feet in the grass as I glare at the lake. "So this is the game we're gonna play then, huh?"

I take off my shoes once more the same exact way I did over at the beach. I also take off the coat and I leave it beside them. I step into the cold water, causing a ripple on the surface. I proceed as the water gets deeper. I wade in until I am shoulder deep. I peer down at my reflection.

"Why are you running away, Lapis? I just wanted to warn you. I wanted to warn you that a certain somebody just took whatever freedom you had left away from you! Someone is now after you and guess whose fault that is?! That's right, Lapis. It's mine."

I smirk. "I did it. And I bet you were just looking for Jasper too, weren't you? Well guess what? She's gone too. I led her away from this barn along with Bismuth to go into hiding. You'll probably never see her ever again. And it's all thanks to me." I hiss at her through clenched teeth.

"Because you are going to join her. You are going to join your other ex-girlfriend Peridot who willingly chose me over you and she payed the ultimate price for it. Hurts, doesn't it?" I smirk. "You never had a chance with her. You are nothing more than a low, cowardious, selfish piece of dirt."

I raise a fist from the water. "You just love to hide down there, don't you? That's a shame. I thought that a powerful Gem such as yourself would actually take charge and not let everything fall apart the way it did. It may have been my fault, but you are just as guilty as me for letting me in."

I pound the water, causing a splash on the surface. My eyes narrow as I smile. "You want me, Lapis? Come on, water witch, come and get me. I can handle whatever you are willing to do with me for your revenge. I doubt it will be any better than what I did to you." I chuckle.

"You want me to tell you something?" I glare down at her. "There may have been others, but above all, I hate YOU. I couldn't hate you more. You forced me into confessing my secret! And you thought it was funny to just take me out while I was taking a nice, long swim in your pool."

I notice a slight ripple. "You couldn't imagine how embarrassing that was. You started all of this. I just wanted a new beginning. I never asked for any of this! You did! You wanted this to happen just to make me feel miserable! I tried to make amends with you and I tried to help you."

The surface ripples a few more times. "But you turned me away. Now, I just want to hurt you. I want to destroy you, Lapis. But I bet you couldn't do that either, huh? You may be strong and powerful, but you are just pathetic. I'm giving you one last chance to take your revenge."

I wait a moment. "Fine." I turn away and I start heading back to shore. Suddenly, I feel something latch onto me. I widen my eyes and I smile. The next moment, I drop down below the surface of the water with a splash.


	41. Masochisms

Lapis is doing exactly what I want her to do. I need to warn her about the hunt. If taunting her into this is the only way to do that, then so be it. I hold my mouth closed as I get dragged deeper down into the depths of the lake.

I look down at my wrists. There are bright blue chains attached to them. I notice Lapis, glaring at me as I get closer and closer to her each passing second. She curls her hands into fists. Whatever's coming next, it's gonna hurt and I have to be ready to endure the pain.

My eyes are now only feet away from her now. We lock them in on each other as we meet face to face. I smirk. She moves up to me and she presses her lips into mine. I widen my eyes as she brings my tongue down with hers.  
She places a hand on my neck and the other on the back of my head.

I grab the back of her head and I force her mouth deeper into mine. She squeezes my throat as she forces my lips into hers. We suffocate and we cough into each other until she lets go of me after a few seconds. I smile and I snicker. 

She grabs at my gem with wild eyes.  
She slides her fingers off of it before she lets go. She then moves behind me as I raise an eyebrow. She tugs at the rims of my shirt. She yanks it off my body and she punches me in the back.

I jerk my head back as I release a cough full of bubbles. After a few moments, the bottom half of me enters exposure just the same. I gasp out more bubbles and my breath hitches. I shut my eyes and I squint them.

Finally, I exhale, releasing the tension and a mouth enters my ear. "Still think I'm pathetic?" I smile and she jabs at my cheek. She moves back in front of me. She's wearing all of my clothes, except for the jacket and shoes. For a moment, I look upon Eloc before he transforms back into Lapis.

Lapis plays with my chest and I resist almost every moan I could. She punches it when she's done and I gasp, inhaling a mouthful of water. I grab Lapis and I force her back into me. I breathe into her mouth as I cling onto her body.

I hold her head up close as she holds mine up to hers. We make out as we hover in the cold, dark water. I open my eyes as she opens hers. My mouth hangs open as she embraces me. She sucks on my neck as I rest my head on her shoulder.

I peck her cheek before I start sucking on her neck. She rests her own head on my shoulder as I close my eyes. Why? Why does this feel so good? I don't understand. I stop and I embrace her. I bring myself back up to her lips again and I squint my eyes.

All this time, I just didn't know. How could she be the one to stand out above the others? How can we be so tender and so rough with each other at the same time? Is it because I'm like Jasper? Is it because I remind her of Jasper? Or could it be something completely different?

I...I want to stay with her. I want to...die with her. I want her to drown me. If I wasn't a Gem, she could've done it. Can I just let her take me? I have her to keep me down here. For some reason, the water feels warmer now. Why is that?

I open my eyes to see Lapis, blushing. I blush a dark purple as I hold her cheeks. She opens her own eyes and I detach myself from her. I swim down to her pants. She slaps me away and I chuckle. I take in some water and I blow out some bubbles. I move back in and I exhale into her mouth.

I tug against the chains that bind me to her. I look up at the surface, smiling. I close my eyes and I stop moving. Lapis loosens her grip on the chains and she takes my hand. I can feel myself getting dragged back up towards the surface.


	42. Remorse

Lapis and I break the surface of the water with a gasp. We stare at each other as we pant. The lake glistens in the moonlight as water drips from our bodies. Lapis looks down at her reflection with a frown. She grits her teeth as she shuts her eyes.

I look down at my own reflection, noticing the mark on my cheek and a few small bruises on my neck. I press a hand up to it as I hear a sigh. I look up to see Lapis with her back turned away from me. I want to say something to her. I want to talk to her on what just happened between us.

"Three strikes." I raise an eyebrow. "Three strikes and I'm out." She covers her face and I wade over towards her. "Why?" I place a hand on her shoulder. "Why am I such..." I can feel her body convulsing. "A sadist?" I peck her cheek before I move back into the water.

"I hope that's what you wanted, Amethyst. Because that was EXACTLY what you deserved after all of those days..." She whips her body around to face me. "You've been lying and cheating and hurting people!" She grabs my neck. 

"Shattering Gems. Shattering Peridot and killing my only friend!" Her voice shakes and cracks. "Stealing my ex and forcing her into a love relationship with someone else!"  
"Lapis."

"NO! Don't try to be all somber with me now YOU!" Her nostrils flare in her fury. "YOU DEFECTIVE PIECE OF DIRT!" She slaps me across the face and I clutch the front of her tank top. "Listen to me, Lapis, I didn't come here to get my butt handed to me. I came here to warn you."

Lapis scoffs. "Warn me?! About what?!" I glare at her. "About your shattering. Tomorrow, Rose will hunt you down and when she does, you will be shattered." Lapis raises an eyebrow. "Rose? Whose Rose?"

"Steven's mother. Somehow, her concious has replaced his and now she's back in his body to claim revenge." She folds her arms.  
"Uh...what did I do to her?" I grit my teeth. "You may have been um...selfishly framed for cover."

"WHAT?!" She clenched her teeth as she takes a step towards me. My mouth sinks into the water as I widen my eyes. "Are you kidding with this?!" She stares at me, flabbergasted. "So you paint me up like I'm the bad Gem around here?!" She hisses through her clenched teeth.

"That I'm THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CRIMES?!" She yanks at her hair as her blue eyes bulge in torment. "I let you into the barn and THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY MY HOSPITALITY?!" She fists tremble as she takes another step towards me.

"I just want to shatter you right here, right now. I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY OF THIS DIRT! THINGS WERE PERFECT UNTIL YOU CAME ALONG!" She forces my head below the water. She squeezes my neck and I gag as her muscles tighten.

I'm not going to resist her. I'm just as done with this as she is. If she shatters me, so be it. I close my eyes as her grip strengthens. I wait for the cloud that will send me to my demise. After a few more seconds, Lapis loosens her grip. She lets go of me and I start to sink.

Fine. I guess I'm drowning then. A hand pushes me back up and something embraces me. "I...can't! I CAN'T DO IT!" Lapis sobs as she holds me up to her lips and she presses them into mine. Her tears drip from her cheeks onto my chest as she cries.

"Please! Just stop! Stop tormenting me!" I open my eyes and I embrace her. She gasps and she stares down at me. "I have to..." She reaches down for my gemstone. "I have to pull it out." Her fingers claw onto it. Her tears drip onto my gem for a moment. She lets go. 

"GAH!" She squeezes my arms as she rests her head on my chest. "Why can't I kill you? What did you do to make me...feel this way towards you?" I gaze at her head with somber eyes. "I don't understand. I hate you so much. Yet, I don't want to destroy you."

I put my fingers through her hair as I press a hand against the back of her head. "I want this to be over. I couldn't wish...more than anything in this entire universe...to be shattered. Please!" Lapis clutches my body and I resist a yell. "Please shatter me, Amethyst!"

She forces her head back up. Her cheeks are tearstained and her face is turning into a darker shade of blue. "SHATTER ME, AMETHYST!" I close my eyes as I grit my teeth, pulling myself into her. "SHATTER ME!" My eyes well up as I resist a mountain of tears growing inside them.


	43. Lament

Lapis clutches my body as I cling to hers. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lapis wants to get shattered? And she wants ME to do it?! Why would anyone WANT to get shattered?! My top teeth grind against its bottom half as Lapis weeps in her grief. "Amethyst."

I open my eyes as she takes my right arm and she brings it down so she can hold the hand connected to it. "I know you hate me. I know you don't care. And-And you shouldn't! Remember all of those horrible things I did to you? I know you want to do it. Just...end my existence and let me move on."

I shake my head. "No." Lapis widens her eyes, her jaw dropping. "Wh-What?!" I nod. "I don't want to shatter you." Lapis glares at me as she grits her teeth. "Oh. I see how it is. You want me to suffer, huh? Is that it?!" I facepalm with a groan.

"No no. I just-!" Lapis drops me and I splash down into the water. I pop my head back out and I look around. Lapis isn't in sight. "Lapis?!" Suddenly, a small pillar of water rises from the surface of the lake. I look up to see Lapis standing on it.

I raise an eyebrow. "Lapis?" She stares down at me from a few feet above. "So you refuse?" I look down and I hear a sigh. "I knew it." I look back up at her as she takes a step forward, closing her eyes. 

_"Oh well we've done it now._   
_This is the final straw."_

She open her eyes.

_"And I now I feel..._   
_Like I can just keel."_

She turns around and she leans over on her back.

_"And die."_

She sends her body back up onto the platform with a small splash.

_"We don't deserve to live._   
_No one cares anymore."_

She takes another step forward away from me.

_"I can't relieve._   
_I can't believe."_

She whips her body around to face me.

_"That we've changed._   
_We've changed the wrong way._   
_We've changed the wrong way."_

She clutches the front of her tank top.

_"You took my life from me._   
_There's nothing left for me._   
_I let you in._   
_I let you out."_

She kneels down on her right knee.

_"We both deserve to stop now._   
_Just your hold breath and let go._   
_This is our end._   
_No time to amend."_

Her eyes well up.

_"My exes are in your hands now._   
_There's nothing that I can do now."_

Tears drip from her eyes and they are carried away by the wind.

_"You are a monster._   
_And I am a monster."_

She looks down, gritting her teeth.

_"As well."_

She puts her hand out and she stares at it.

_"Look at what we have done._   
_We've poisoned the world at its own core."_

She closes her eyes as she lets go of her tank top, placing the hand on the pillar beneath her.

_"I can't relieve._   
_I can't believe."_

She opens her eyes once more, placing her other hand on the pillar on the other side of her.

_"That we've changed._   
_We've changed the wrong way._   
_We've changed the wrong way."_

She abruptly stands up and she points down at me.

_"You shattered the mirror!_   
_Tossed in the fever!_   
_Breaking the laws we had here!"_

She turns her pointer finger into a claw and she sends to face the sky.

_"There is no moral!_   
_Things are not normal!_   
_Things have been left in ruins!"_

Tears stream down her cheeks as she stomps on the pillar, causing a splash.

_"I am not sorry!_   
_You should be sorry!_   
_For all the things you have done!"_

I look down at the water as I fold my arms.

_"To me."_

The pillar starts to sink back into the water.

_"We can go on no more._   
_What's done is done and it's all over."_

She sits down, gazing at the sky.

_"I can't relieve._   
_I can't believe."_

She pauses with a sniff, looking back down at me.

_"That we've changed."_

She stands up on the pillar as it reaches the water.

_"We've changed the wrong way."_

She approaches me.

_"We've changed the wrong way."_

She cups my neck in her hands.

_"We've changed the wrong way."_

She brushes my lips as we close our eyes.


	44. Terraformer

What happened between Lapis and I that made us this way? How the heck did we turn from being a nemesis for each other to hardcore, depressed lovers? It doesn't make any sense, does it? Well, whatever happened in the lake was somehow pleasurable. 

But now, it's time to get out. I head back to the shore to retrieve my clothes with Lapis right behind me. Once I step onto the grass, Lapis hands me my pants and I slip those on before I take my shirt from her to put that on. I sit down in the grass as I slip my shoes on.

"You know, you shouldn't really have that much clothing with you." I shrug. "Eh, it's fine. I'm used to it." Lapis steps out of the water as she looks around. "Hmm...so wait. What were you trying to say to me before we made out?" I look down at the ground for a moment.

"Oh yeah!" I look back up at Lapis, holding a finger up. "I was trying to warn you about the hunt!" Lapis raises an eyebrow. "The what?"  
"Rose's hunt. For some reason, Ruby and Sapphire placed the blame for what I did to Steven onto you as a way to give me cover."

"You didn't tell them to do that?"  
"No. I just told them to cover for me while I think of something. You know, a plan to get rid of Rose without hurting Steven again." Lapis frowns. 

"Amethyst, I'm afraid that's not possible. If Rose's mind took over Steven's body, then you HAVE to hurt him." I facepalm. "Ugh! That's the problem! I don't want to have to hurt him!" Lapis sits down beside me. "So you didn't mean to do that to him back during the hurricane?"

"Obviously! I'm not this bloodthirsty, heartless psychopath you think I am! I may be fused with a monster, but I'm still me! I'm still Amethyst!" I fold my arms as Lapis looks down at the lake. "Things weren't supposed to be this way. I wish I was made the right way. I just wonder every day and night why I came out like this."

I look down at my reflection. "I wonder how things could've been if I was made like Jasper was. Perfect and flawless and unstoppable! What happened that caused me to be different? What caused all of this to happen?" Lapis looks up and she faces me.

"So, how were you made anyway?"  
"I was made in the Prime Kindergarten and I'm five hundred years younger than the others according to Peridot." Lapis puts a fist to her chin, looking away. "Hmm...the Prime Kindergarten."

She detaches her fist and she looks back at me. "Wait! I used to-!" She cuts herself off as I look up to face her. "Uh, used to what?" Lapis grits her teeth, breathing through them. "Amethyst, I used to work at the Prime Kindergarten."

I raise my eyebrow. "What? Like how exactly? There isn't any water over there. Or did there used to be? How did you work there?"  
"I worked with Homeworld in Blue Diamond's court as a terraformer."  
"A terra...what?"

"A terraformer. I shape the Earth and control the atmosphere around us. I can even control certain parts of the weather. Just not lightning." She glares at me as I gulp. "Eheheheh. Sorry." Lapis immediately drops the glare. 

"Whenever it rained over there, Homeworld would collect the water to be used as a resource for Lapis Lazulis to manipulate. We never terraformed the Beta Kindergarten and Jasper, out of every other Gem that was made there, came out right." 

"Why didn't they terraform it?"  
"During the Gem War, Homeworld was in a rush to produce Quartz soldiers, Jaspers, to fight for them and to defend the Diamonds along with their court. There was no time. Every Gem there came out as either useless or impaired."

"So what happened with Jasper?"  
"It was a miracle to Homeworld at the time. She was the very first proper Gem produced. No flaws, battle ready-made, strong and impenetrable. The very last Beta Kindergartener. After that, after we got everything down, we moved to another canyon and we created a second Kindergarten."

She gets up as I stare up at her. "Were you made when it was made or...?" Lapis glances at the warp pad about a yard away from where we are. "We can talk more about it on our way over there."  
"Wait." I get up with a grunt. "We're actually going over there?"

Lapis nods. "Yes. We need to go into hiding anyway and we need to think of a plan to stop...whatever her name was."  
"Rose?"  
"Rose." She motions me forward as she starts to walk towards our next destination. "Let's go."


	45. Kindergartens

Lapis and I head over towards the warp pad as we look around to make sure there isn't any trouble nearby. We have decided not to talk about anything until we get to the warp pad. I check the barn while Lapis checks in the direction of the cabin.

I grimace, hearing the sound of thunder. "Lapis?" Lapis puts a finger to her lips. "Shh!" She motions me forward as I look up at the sky. I raise an eyebrow. Why did I hear thunder? The last time I heard that was when I was making out with Eyeball back inside the barn.

I step onto the warp pad as Lapis narrows her eyes. "Okay." I put a hand out and our forms dissipate into the tunnel of light. "It's safe for us to talk again now." She smiles. "So what were we talking about again?"

"We were talking about the Kindergartens and your role in them as a terraformer."  
"Well, Amethyst, there were no terraformers over at the Beta Kindergarten. However, the Prime Kindergarten changed all of that."

"So what happened?"  
"I was made. I wasn't made at the Kindergarten, but from a certain property of water just like the fiery property used to make Peridots."  
"I think Steven told me that it's Peridotite. So does that mean you were made from Lapistite or-!"

"Something like that. I think it was pronounced as Lapisitite. I'm not really sure."  
"Were Peridots made at the same time Lapis Lazulis were?"  
"Pretty much, yeah. We were made from around the Kindergarten on Facet 5 I believe."

I look down. "Huh."  
"I think we're here, Amethyst." I put a hand out once more and we look upon the very place I was made from. "This is it." I grit my teeth as I look around at all of the holes and injectors surrounding us.

"Pearl would hate to see me here right now." Lapis looks down at the ground from where we're standing. She looks back at me. "Are you going to make it down okay?" I nod. "I'll be fine. Normally, I would just jump off of the platform."

"Alright then. It's a long way down from here." She sprouts her water wings and she swoops down to the ground and she lands on her feet. I look down at where she is and I pause for a moment before I jump. I land on the ground, planting my hand with a grunt.

I look up to stare into the hole I came out of to become who I am today. Lapis is staring at the exact same hole with her hands behind her back. "This hole..." She steps up to it. "This hole isn't like the others. It's smaller and it's planted on the ground."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I noticed." Lapis grits her teeth, sweat rolling down her neck. "Amethyst, why don't we um...uh..." I fold my arms. "Look at the other holes?"  
"Lapis, I'm not stupid! This is MY hole!"

"Hm, maybe this was a bad idea. Why don't we just go somewhere a little more peaceful like the Sea Spire or the Communication Hub?"  
"Are you kidding me?! Why should we if we're talking about THIS?!" I point at my hole with a trembling finger.

"I don't want you to feel bad about this."  
"You know about this hole, don't you, Lapis?"  
"I um..." I turn to face her with a glare as she turns away. "Amethyst, please, let's just go."

She starts to wander off as I grab her arm. "We're not going anywhere until we finish our conversation."  
"I-I don't think we should."  
"No. We're finishing it." Lapis turns back to me with a pained expression.  
"Are you sure?"

I nod. "Yes." Lapis sighs as I let go of her. "This is the place Homeworld has pitched in to create while Jasper was fighting the war as their General. However, since she was the superior Quartz, she was really Admiral at the time. Homeworld created this place in the meantime as way to gather more soldiers to expand their army."

"What happened that caused me to come out like this?" Lapis hesitates for a moment. "Can I get through everything else first?" I sigh and I nod. "Fine."  
"Okay. So Peridots and Lapis Lazulis were made before the Amethysts. They are also known as era two Quartz Soldiers."

"But what about era one?"  
"Those are Jaspers and only Jaspers."  
"No. I mean like era one Gems. What is the difference between those two?"  
"The difference between the two eras comes from the creation of this Kindergarten."


	46. Mistakes

Lapis looks around in anguish. "Are you really sure you want to know the truth, Amethyst?" I scoff. "Lapis, just spit it out already! What happened that made me this way?"  
"Well, we were made and...I came along and-and..." Her voice trails off as my teeth clench.

"TELL ME!" Lapis hesitates, turning away from me. She takes a deep breath before she continues. "I was given a job as an era 1 Lapis Lazuli. Resources have decreased due to the damage on Homeworld. We were so desperate to get Jaspers that we've put too much of what we had into making them."

"Homeworld needed every Lapis Lazuli and Peridot to work at this Kindergarten. There were plans to make several more, but this ended up being the very last one. They had to start stealing energy and sources from this planet to make many different kinds of Gems. Amethysts in particular."

"So what did you do here?"  
"I was...um..." I curl my hands into fists. "Tell me what you did, Lapis!" Lapis gasps for a moment, covering her mouth. She shakes her head. "I can't!" I grab Lapis by the front of her tank top. "You've got no power here. You're going to tell me what happened or else I'm gonna break you!"

"Amethyst, please!" Her eyes well up. "I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already did!" I glare at her. "Finish." Her lips quiver. "I was given a single job. That job was to make a space in this Kindergarten for Gem incubation."

"What did you do?"  
"I was assigned by Blue Diamond to go down to Earth and to help form the Prime Kindergarten. So I did. Once I got there, I was assigned a simple task from an Agate. I had to form a strip of this land to create all of these holes you see before us. This entire wall."

"So what happened with my hole?" Lapis bites her lip. "I-I hesitated." I widen my eyes, gaping at her. "You WHAT?!" Lapis covers her face. "I'm so sorry! I was just so nervous and I didn't like what I was doing! I was helping these Gems hurt this innocent planet!"

"How could you?" I pull Lapis off her feet. "You hesitated?!" Lapis looks back at the hole. "I'm really sorry, Amethyst! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I-!" I drop Lapis and I place my foot on the gem on her back. "I ought to shatter you for what you've done."

I spat at her and tears slip from Lapis' eyes. "You're finally willing to do that now?! You weren't willing to do that back in the lake but you're willing to do that now?!" I take my foot off of Lapis. "Oh yeah. I forgot. Nice try."  
Lapis gapes as I walk away from her.

"So what you just said to me. Was it all really a lie to get me to want to shatter you?" Lapis looks away. "Truth is, I don't know what happened to you. And you know what?" She looks back at me. "I honestly don't care how you were made. Just how you're going to be broken."

I gape at her with tears building up in my eyes. "I loved you, Lapis! How could we still fight and argue like this! How can a Gem such as yourself be so cold?" Lapis gets up and she jabs a finger into my chest. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO SHATTER HER! I LOVED HER JUST AS MUCH AS I WILL EVER LOVE OR CARE ABOUT YOU!" We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. "Maybe Peridot was shattered because she doesn't deserve you."

Lapis grabs me by the neck. "Amethyst, shut up." Her gemstone glows and mine does the same. Lapis moves in towards me and I punch her in the chest, knocking her off her feet. She widens her eyes as she hits the ground. I hear something break, causing me to cringe.

Lapis lifts her head up with a grunt. "I didn't want to tell you. Because I didn't want to hurt you. That's the truth."  
"YOU'RE LYING!"  
"I created you, Amethyst! No one else!" Her pupils fade into her glassy, reflective, blank eyes. 

Like mirrors, I can see myself in them. "Can't you see that I wasn't attempting to pull a scam with you? You wanted answers so I gave them to you...because...I thought...it would bring you to closure. We could've ran away together and maybe I could've helped make up for my mistake by making you happy."

Tears roll down my cheeks. "We were never meant to be together. I have a Ruby that I need to go apologize to. Excuse me." I turn away from her and I start walking away. "Amethyst, don't go!" Her voice shakes as she chokes on tears. "Amethyst, PLEASE! I'M SORRY!"

I jump up onto the warp pad. I turn around to face Lapis one last time. "AMETHYST!" I squint my eyes as I put a hand out. The light pulls me away from her as I leave the monster, who has created me, with a cracked gem to suffer.


	47. Hesitation

I float in the tunnel of light, my long hair billowing in the wind that is being carried along with it. Tears continue to roll down my cheeks as the scene of me sending Lapis to the ground plays in my head.

I grit my teeth as I hear the gem crack as it hits the ground. I clutch my stomache as I pant. My vision blurs and my forehead throbs with an aching pain. I squint my eyes as another image flashes by. My hand curls into a fist, crushing Pearl's gem back on the beach.

I stomp on Peridot's gem with a twisted smile on my face. Last but not least, the Rubies that I've shattered hours ago. I poof them before I simply step on them. If I didn't shatter them, I most definitely cracked them for sure. Eyeball stares at me with a grimace as I appear on the warp pad at the barn.

"I've been waiting for you." Eyeball's gem flashes for a moment in the moonlight. I gape with my eyes widening in alarm of her sudden appearance. She facepalms, looking down. "How could you do such a thing?" Her voice is shaking, so I embrace her to help her feel better.

The next moment isn't that pleasant. Out of nowhere, which I should've seen coming, Eyeball shoves me into the ground. I land on my back and I gasp. The broken record of a single line blares in my head. "CORRUPTION WILL FOREVER BE HER CURSE!" Wait a minute. I remember that line!

"CORRUPTION WILL FOREVER BE HER CURSE! CORRUPTION WILL FOREVER BE HER CURSE!" I cover my ears as I stare up at Eyeball. She shakes her head and she places a foot on my gem. The record subsides as soon as she does. 

"Corruption will forever be her curse! Corruption will forever be her curse! Corruption will forever be her curse!" I pant as she presses her foot down on the gem. "Eyeball, I was just going back to the cabin to unlock the door."  
"Were you?" A figure emerges from the shadows.

My jaw drops the minute Rose's concious steps onto the warp pad alongside Eyeball in a dress. Rose's dress. It looks...absolutely ridiculous! I snicker at the smaller version of Rose's dress on Steven's body as she folds his arms. "What's so funny?" 

I shut my eyes, facepalm as I burst out in laughter. For a moment, I'm not in a dire situation between two Gems that I would consider as family who want to shatter me for what I did to them. I am in the temple with Pearl knitting a Rose Quartz dress small enough for Steven...or even me to wear.

I look up from my book to watch her humming to herself as she ties a string of white thread through a needle. Even though the detail on it is amazing, the funny part is this. "Pearl, what are you making?" Pearl stops for a minute to look up and she notices the smile on my face.

"Oh. Um..." Her cheeks turn bright blue. A beautiful blush indeed. She immediately goes back to work. "Well, Amethyst, I'm making a dress." I narrow my eyes, folding my arms.  
"A Rose Quartz dress?" She growls. "That's right. It's a Rose Quartz dress."

"Why are you making one?" Pearl breathes in through her nose and then out again as she focuses on her side project. "Amethyst, I just like making dresses, okay?"  
"Pearl, this is the only dress I've seen you make." 

Should I tell her that it looks great? How would she react? What would happen if I did? These questions were given to me at the time this has happened. Looking back on it, I regret that I never told her. Once again, the memory becomes another part of the Pearl and Amethyst comedic routine.

Instead, I said this. "Who is it for?" Pearl immediately looks back at me. "Well...it's for...um..." She goes straight back to the project, working with a diligent grace. A part of me actually wanted her to say my name. But when she simply said "Steven", my heart sank and my eyes welled up.

I put the book down and I sulk off to my room. All those times, I just should've said, with a blindfold over my eyes, three meaningful words. I love you. It pains me so much to say that to her. I hesitated for too long and look at what happened. 

I only spent one night out of thousands in a love relationship with the Gem of my wildest dreams. And that was it. I stop laughing as a sharp blade presses against my neck. Blood doesn't pour down it, but heartbroken tears from a sad dream.


	48. Searchlight

I lay in a room as I open my eyes. My blurry vision adjusts as I rub against one of them. I yawn as I roll my body to my left. No one is there. In fact, nothing is there. I can't see anything in here. I hold a hand up and I spark it to illuminate a small portion of my surroundings.

"Oh come on." A switch causes the room to be blinded with light. I shield my eyes, gritting my teeth. "Rise and shine sleepyhead." I open my eyes slightly to see two big figures standing in the room. "Amethyst, it's us!" I raise my eyebrow as I put my hand down. "It's Jasper and Bismuth, wake up!" 

She kicks a bedpost as my eyelids droop. "Is she on something again?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"Check her forehead." A big hand presses against my forehead. "Jasper, it's really cold." Jasper steps up to my body as Bismuth retracts her hand to give her a turn.

"Bismuth, get a bucket and fill it with scalding hot water." I gasp as I rub my eyes in an urgent manner of panic. "G-Guys! I-I'm awake!" Sure enough, Jasper and Bismuth are hovering over me next to each other, grinning. "An Agate loved doing that to me. It works everytime she had said."

I sit up with a groan. "Was I in Jersey again?" They shake their heads. "No. We saw you getting carried back to the cabin. When we saw Rose, we knew what was going on. So we snuck in here just time for us to rescue you."  
Jasper looks down at me with a smile. 

"I still haven't payed you back for the times you saved me don't forget." I smile back as I yawn again. "Sorry. It's...been a long night."   
"We can tell." Jasper heads for the door. "Don't worry. We made sure the house cleared out before we woke you up. So now that that's over, all we gotta do now is open the door."

Jasper grips the knob before she turns it...only to hear a clicking sound. Jasper's smile turns into a glare within seconds. After the umpteenth attempt, Jasper finally lets it go with a grunt. "Huh. We really didn't think this one through." I facepalm as the light turns off on its own. 

"Great! Now we're the ones locked in here in the dark!" I slam my head back down onto the bed with a groan. "This is all my fault." Jasper and Bismuth exchange looks. "Check the room for an exit." Jasper nods as Bismuth turn her head towards me. 

"Amethyst, shine your light in Jasper's direction." I hold my hand out in Jasper's direction as I spark it. She fidgets a bit as she searches for an exit. I know exactly why this is. Jasper lost a battle to electricity and BAM! Now she's afraid of lightning and it's all thanks to me. 

"Jasper." Bismuth places a hand on her back. "Are you alright?" Jasper ignores her as she rushes her search. Bismuth looks back at me, gritting her teeth. I shrug as she turns back to Jasper. "Jasper, let me take over this one for you." 

After a few more seconds, Jasper steps aside for Bismuth to do the work in her place. "Okay. Is there a hatch anywhere or perhaps a window?" I put my free hand to my chin. "Hmm..." My eyes brighten as I notice something off inside the room. 

"Guys, look!" I point at a thin crevice of light that I only I can see since I'm directly straight across from it. "What?" I point at the crevice with my free hand. "There! Brush your hand against it!" Bismuth raises an eyebrow. 

"Amethyst, I can't see what you're trying to show me." I turn to Jasper and I motion her towards me. She leans her ear in towards me. "Look!" I point out the crevice to her and she nods. She brings herself back up, giving me a thumbs-up. "Good call." She turns back to Bismuth. 

"Bismuth, there is a small, narrow line of light in that wall right where your hand is. Brush against it!" Bismuth shrugs. "Alright. If you two say so." She puts her right hand on the wall and she presses against it. "Wait! I feel something!" 

She grips the curtain and she launches it down to her right. Light flashes into the room and we sheild our eyes for a moment. "Daybreak." Bismuth turns back to us. "Looks like the hunt is about to commence."


	49. Battalion

Jasper steps up to the glass window of the bedroom with a smug grin attached to her face. "Heh heh heh. Well, looks like it's about time we BREAK out." She raises a fist before she thrusts it into the glass, cracking it.

She grits her teeth, glaring at the crack. "Uh...why didn't that work?" Bismuth cracks her knuckles she slams her own fist into the window. The crack enlargens, nearly taking up the entire window. "My turn." 

I charge up my already sparking hand before I zap the crack, ultimately shattering the glass. I fold my arms with a smirk. "Let's go." I jump off the bed I hop out of the window. I plant a hand on the ground as I land and I look up. I grimace, facing three Ruby Guards.

None of them are happy to see me. Jasper and Bismuth jump down slamming their fists into two of the Rubies, instantly poofing them. The last Ruby, with a gem on its right cheek, pulls out a device from its utility belt, grimacing.

She immediately turns the dial and she shouts into it. "RUBIES, ASSEMBLE AT THE CABIN THIS INST-!" I slam a fist into the gem and she glitches out. She opens her eyes and she kicks me right where it counts. Sorry. It's not the gem.

I hold it as I gasp, reeling back into the cabin wall outside. I cough as Jasper and Bismuth widen their eyes at me. "AMETHYST!" They turn to the Ruby that hurt me and Jasper cracks her knuckles, summoning her helmet. Bismuth shapeshifts her hands into hammers. 

"No one messes with our family!" Bismuth yells as she slams one of her hammers down on the Ruby. "Man, if only I had the Breaking Point with me right now. I swear!" She stomps in the gem and I hear it shatter. I bubble the other two leftover out of harms way.

"Don't worry about the last two." I groan. "They're innocent."  
"For now. Are you okay? That must've really hurt." Jasper places a hand on my back. "Don't worry, guys. I'm okay. Let's keep going." Suddenly, battle cries ring out over the area as more Rubies charge towards us.

"And by that, I mean let's take out the whole dang battalion." Jasper and Bismuth stand their ground, getting ready to strike as all kinds of weapons are summoned from their gems. A sheild, a gauntlet, a chisel, a club, pyrokinesis, oof! That's a lot." I grunt as I pull out my whip.

It cracks as it hits the ground. A Ruby lunges into Bismuth with a chisel and Bismuth knocks her away while Jasper slams her helmet down on another Ruby with a shield which was summoned just in time to deflect the attack. Jasper's head reels back as I launch my whip at it. 

She flies away into another Ruby, knocking that one down with it. I whip out my sword. "Here we go!" I charge into another Ruby and I combat her chisel. I parry each blow until I take a take back, waiting for the perfect moment to thrust the tip into her form.

She poofs with a chocked gasp, allowing another Ruby to combat with me. She launches a fireball at me and I gasp. I jump out the way with a grunt. Is that Ruby? She also has pyrokinesis...and a gem on her right palm. 

I check her uniform to make sure it has the Yellow Diamond insignia on it. I sigh in relief as another fireball flies right past me. "Wow! Nice accuracy!" I grin as I jump up, pulling my whip out in mid-air as I grip my sword with my other. I spin as I crash the whip right into her chest. 

She bounces off of three more Rubies like pinball. I pant as I lose my confidence for more Rubies are coming. It's an endless supply. My face sweats as I clutch my stomache. "There's...THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" 

I turn my head to Jasper and Bismuth who are still fighting their Rubies. I need to get out of here. If I stay, I'll eventually tire myself out. It's only a matter of-! 

Another Ruby locks her eye on me as she combats my sword. She has a gem on her right eye. "E-EYEBALL?!" She grits her teeth as she kicks me on the side. I land on the ground as she whips out a chisel from her gem.


	50. Cracked

The Ruby's chisel gleams in the sunlight as I grimace at it. "Eyeball, is that you?!" The Ruby approaches me as she takes her time. Her glare slowly transforms into a sickening smile as she narrows her eyebrows. She chuckles as she grips her chisel.

My eyes well up. "Please, I don't want to fight you! I'm sorry for what I did! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't have to lock you in that bedroom! I didn't have to go to the beach!" Tears slip from my eyes as I squint them. "I didn't have to cheat on you! Please! Please stop this!"

I open my eyes and I immediately resort to kissing her on the lips. Wait. Something doesn't feel right. The Ruby grabs my throat and she squeezes it. I gasp as I detach my lips. "Wow. Now THAT was low!" She grins as she strikes her chisel into my gem.

It cracks and the world around me slows down. My hearing echoes every sound as I hear my breath, panting slow breaths. My vision blurs as I put a hand out. I look up at the Ruby who punctured what was left of my energy. I blink as I look upon the chisel once more.

"I'm...sorry...Eyeball." I close my eyes and everything goes dark. "Amethyst. AMETHYST!" I open my eyes to see Jasper and Bismuth clenching their teeth, staring down at me. I groan as my vision adjusts along with my hearing. I press a hand against my forehead and I groan.

"Amethyst, are you alright!" I look around to see that I'm no longer near the cabin. I can see a wooden ceiling with narrow spaces of light. "You passed out. We saw you on the ground again just like how you were at the Forge and..." Bismuth looks away.

"This might be too dangerous for her to handle, Bismuth. If she enters another battle like that again, she's finished." Jasper picks up the spit pan that contains the healing spit that I stole from Steven a few weeks earlier to save her.

She tilts the pan to show me that there's hardly any drops left. "We had to use whatever was left. It was that bad. She almost shattered you!" Jasper puts the pan down before she covers her face. A voice that isn't around says something to me. "It could mean the end of the Crystal Gems...forever."

I bite my lip as I yank my hair. This can't be true. But what if...what if what Garnet warned me about back then is something she saw through her future vision? She saw this. She saw all of this as a possible future that is becoming true.

Pearl is shattered. Garnet is split apart from her existence. Steven is no longer himself. Peridot is corrupted AND shattered. Lapis is being hunted down. And I...I couldn't be in more trouble right now. All of the Crystal Gems are going to die off...including me.

This can't be happening. Why can't I just wake up from this nightmare?! I squint my eyes as I pinch myself as hard as can, gritting my teeth. I open my eyes...only to see that I'm still inside the dang barn! I start my incessant sob, crying out to my old life.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry, Pearl! Garnet! Steven! Peridot! Eye-Eyeball! L-Lapis! I-I n-never w-wanted t-to h-hurt any of y-you! Pl-Please! T-Tell m-me! Is th-this a-all a p-punishment or wh-what?! Because I'm d-done w-with all of this d-dirt! I j-just w-want t-to g-go h-home! Please! SEND ME HOME!"

I wail as tears pour out of my eyes. They drip off my chin before they splatter on the ground. Some roll down my neck while others just stay in my eyes until they couldn't take it any longer. I cover my face as a hand pats my back. 

I look up and to see Jasper sitting right by me. "Bismuth is looking out for Rubies." I sniff as Jasper faces me. "You're not okay, are you?" I clench my teeth as I glare at her. "Amethyst?"  
"I WISH I NEVER EXISTED!" 

I cover my mouth and I look away. I get up from the ground and I run away from her. "AMETHYST, NO!" I bump right into Bismuth, causing her to grunt as I dash out towards the fields.


	51. Concession

Tears flow through my eyes as I run down the fields. I don't look back as the shouting of my name fades in the distance. I can't believe I said that out loud. Not only that, but I screamed that into Jasper's face. The sky turns dark as thunder booms throughout the world.

Rain starts to pouring down hard on my form, drenching it. I stomp into puddles of water as I notice the silhouette of a small figure just up ahead. Lightning crashes down from the sky, illuminating the figure behind it. I don't gasp or make a single reaction.

I stop running as I come face to face with her. "Are you happy, Amethyst, with everything you've ever done?" I blink as I listen to her rant. "I've never seen you like this except for one other time. Remember that night Holo Pearl came to visit you? That was going to be your angel of death right then and there."

"But she wanted me to move on. She wanted me to move on...from you." Lightning flashes again with another boom of thunder. "Well maybe I'm just not meant for you then. Or perhaps you're just not compatible...  
for anyone including me."

"It's just that...I really thought we had something, Eyeball. You and I. What the heck happened to that?" Eyeball looks away. "I guess you were nothing more than a dream. But what I don't get is why? Why did you save me from my platoon?" I wipe my leftover tears.

"I hated how they treated you. You were picked on and made fun of by those other stupid Rubies...just like how I was with the Gems. I only wanted to help you out, you know?" She faces me once more. 

"Were you the worst of your group? Did you want to strive for such goals that you know you can never reach? Have you felt for one second that you could've been something a whole lot more if it wasn't for a simple dang accident?!" I nod my head. Eyeball blinks her eye as lightning flashes.

"We have a lot in common, huh?"  
"Yeah, we do. It's just...the way we were handling things. Ruby and Sapphire aren't even friends anymore ever since they broke up from their relationship. The exact same thing could happen to us." Eyeball looks down.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already did, Eyeball. If we're not happy with this, shouldn't we at least talk to each other about it instead of just waiting until the last possible minute before blowing it all up?" Eyeball grabs her left arm with her right palm, looking up.

"Well, what do you have to say about it?" Lightning flashes and thunder booms as I continue. "At the time, I thought that everything you did for me was really nice and all. But now, looking back at it all, it's just freaking creepy!" Eyeball's mouth quivers.

"I mean, just look at the way you've treated me! You sing a song, you pet my hair like a cat, you kissed me after I said that I thought that I murdered Steven! Remember that, Eyeball?!" Eyeball sighs. "And then you always take me away from the barn and-!"

"That was just to cheer you up! You were going to kill yourself if I didn't come to help you!" I scoff. "Are you kidding me?! Your idea of help is to act all romantic and tell your depressing stories of the Gem War! I never wanted to hear about any of that!"

"I thought you liked all of that."  
"I never did! And here's the worst one. Ever since Doc told me to strip naked out of my clothes, what do you say to me?!" Eyeball tears up. "I...I..." She grimaces, looking down. 

"I'm s-so s-sorry! You never told me! How was I supposed to know you didn't like any of that?!"  
"I never told you because I needed all of that!" Eyeball shakes her head. "WHAT?!"  
"Eyeball, I...I was in a relationship before."

Eyeball rolls her eyes. "With Pearl." I groan. "Ugh! Our relationship was so much better! It wasn't at first, but it turned out cleaner and it was actually pure! We cared about each other equally!" I curl my hands into fists. 

"Then I lost it all. But THAT is the relationship that I want! Not the crummy, depressing garbage that YOU call one!" Eyeball turns away from me, folding her arms. "So you don't love me?" Her voice is shaking. I think I took this a bit too far. Lightning flashes as thunder booms. 

"I...don't know." Eyeball pulls out a chisel from her gem as it glows. "Let's find out then." I raise my eyebrow. "Huh?" Suddenly, Eyeball whips her body around and she lunges the chisel at me with a yell.


	52. Duel

I jump out the way as Eyeball lunges at me. She faceplants into the grass as I stare at her. "Eyeball, I can help you! I can help you get better!" Eyeball gets up as she pulls out a second chisel from her glowing gem, gritting her teeth.

She twirls both weapons in her hands like they're drumsticks. She grips them as she turns around to confront me. "Is this really how you wish to settle things between us?" Eyeball glares at me as she puts of the tips up to my neck.

I facepalm as I attempt to pull out my whip. As soon as my gem glows, Eyeball sends me to the ground and we roll through puddles of mud and the booming of the thunder nearby. She draws her chisel back before she strikes it down towards my face.

I squint my eye and I grit my teeth as I punch her on the cheek. She slams into a puddle as I roll away from her. I get up, coughing out mud as I whip out my sword. I wait for her to get up and get ready as I fold my arms.

"Wow. Real romantic, Eyeball! Maybe perhaps you can stab me with that thing when we take intercourse!" Eyeball raises her eyebrow and she shakes her head through clenched teeth. She immediately pants as she charges towards me.

She throws a chisel at me as I duck. She throws the other as I jump. I point the tip of my sword at her and I lunge at her. She pulls out another chisel and she somersaults out of the way. I hit the ground and I lift my head up.

I hear someone breathing down my neck. I immediately turn around and my sword combats Eyeball's as I kick her in the face. She covers that side as she reels back. "I thought you cared! I don't get why you're saying all of this to me! Please, tell me that none of this is true!"

I shake my head as she pulls out a second chisel. She hurls it at me and I deflect it with my sword. A small dent appears on it as Eyeball pulls out another one. She removes her other hand to reveal a black eye.

"All I wanted to do was make you happy! If you really cared about our relationship back then, we wouldn't be dealing with this right now!" I slide my sword back into its scabbard before I pull out my whip.

"It's not too late, Eyeball. I'm sorry for what I've done. If you can apologize for your part as well, then I'll give you a second chance. I can help you be hardcore the right way. You don't have to be like this." Eyeball drops her chisel and it dissapates immediately.

She slumps down and she rests her face in her arms on her knees. I drop the whip and that dissipates as well. I walk over to her and I sit down beside her. "I did love you, alright? It's just that...after Doc came, you've changed. You've changed the wrong way."

She lifts her face up from her arms as she looks up at me. "We're terrible for each other and it's all my fault." I turn my position to face her. "No we're not. Our relationship can be so much more than that!" Eyeball looks down with a sigh. 

"I think I screwed up enough for a second chance...at heartbreak." I take her hand. "I'm not going to break your heart again. Just keep it light and keep everything else as fair game. I'll let you know when I'm okay with taking an extra step forward, alright?"

Eyeball nods and I press my lips onto hers. She doesn't do anything other than suck on them. That's it. No tongue, no neck, nothing sensual. We close our eyes as I hold her close. Eyeball holds me close just the same as a tear transfers onto my cheek.

The next moment, the kiss ends. I open my eyes. Eyeball has been replaced with a familiar figure. I immediately take action for I grab the gemstone from the air before it nearly reaches his hand. I bubble it and I send it away. 

The figure stares at me for a moment before he speaks under the umpteenth boom of thunder and the heavy downpour. "You just saved a Homeworld Gem, Amethyst. Cross the line one more time, and I will personally shatter you alone when you least expect it."

Rose turns away from me as Steven heads back to the cabin. Rose was going to shatter Eyeball. I start panting under the pressure I'm getting myself into. I clutch my stomache as I start heading back to the barn.


	53. Inaccessible

The sun rises over the fields of the local barn as a precense disturbs the peace. I watch her step out from a feet away alongside Bismuth and Jasper. Today is the day of Rose's Hunt. If all goes according to her plan, we're going to lose Lapis by the end of the day.

Ruby and Sapphire is the only family that she has left by her side. Even in the form of Steven in a Rose Quartz dress, she still looks the same. Bold, determined and graceful. She moves Steven's limbs as she looks around, placing his hands on the porch wall.

"Steven, I'm so sorry this had to happen. We both can't exist together and now, you are a part of me. Someone destroyed you...and I'm going to destroy HER!" I grit my teeth as Steven's fingers clutch the railing.

"I'm going to avenge you and I'm going to bring you back into this world...if I can. I can only do so much for you after all. Oh, if only I can see Greg one last time. And Pearl, she didn't come back. Maybe something has happened to her."

Bismuth coughs on the cold air and Jasper immediately covers her mouth as Rose turns to look in our direction. We are hiding in a bush right now just feet away from where she stands. "Hmm..." She starts heading down the porch steps until the door opens.

"Rose, I am ready to explain the possible outcomes of your hunt today." Rose turns to Sapphire with a smile. "Yes. Of course. Go on." He starts heading back inside the cabin as Sapphire starts to explain everything to him.

"The hunt is your plan. Therefore, someone is going to stop YOU. A Gem in fact. You can lose to her and you yourself, Rose, would be killed. However, Lapis-!" The door closes and we exchange looks with each other. "So Lapis is the one whose going to become the victim of this?"

"Sadly, yes. But we can save her! We just need to find Lapis before Rose does. If we do that, we can defend her and change the path for the remainder of her existence." Jasper folds her arms. "Well, tough. We don't know where she could be."

I widen my eyes as I remember something. "Guys, I think I might know where Lapis is!"  
"You do?!"  
"Where?!"  
"Lapis' gem broke back in the Prime Kindergarten of Facet 5. She can't go anywhere without a fixed gem."

"So what you're saying is, we should check out that area to make sure she's not around?"  
"Of course! Why wouldn't she be there?" I start to dash off as I turn back to motion them to follow me.  
"This way! We'll take the warp!"

This shouldn't be so hard of a challenge. If can we get over there through the warp pad, things should only take a matter of minutes to resolve. We can save Lapis before Rose even steps outside the door again.

I smirk with confidence as I jog down to the warp pad with Bismuth and Jasper following right beside me. I stop in front of the warp pad and my expression contrasts with itself instanly.

"The warp pad." The warp pad here is no longer functional. It has cracks on its sides and on the surface. A huge chunk lays on right on top of it, perfect to hold a sticky note for decent number of hours.

"Great! It's broken! Now how are we supposed to get over there?!" I put a hand up to my chin to contemplate. "Oh! We can take a vehicle for transportation." Bismuth folds her arms. "Such as?"

I put the hand back down. "There was a time in which Steven and I felt like running away from home. So we did just that! We ran and we didn't use the warp pad. We made it over there simply by jumping on a train."

"A train?" I nod. "We can use that to get over to the Kindergarten."  
"But what if Sapphire suggested the exact same plan to Rose?!"  
"Well let's just hope that they don't get that idea and let's get going."

We nod before I ask a question. "Does anyone need to go back into the barn to get something really quickly?" Jasper and Bismuth shake their heads and I motion them to follow me again. "Alright then. Let's go catch a train."


	54. Roadways

I'm taking Jasper and Bismuth over to Beach City on a mission to save a friend who doesn't deserve her intended fate. We walk along the sidewalk of the roadway as we make our way over there.

"Amethyst, how much farther?!" Bismuth whines behind me as Jasper takes the heat with me, resisting the use of speech to acknowledge any questions. Even though they both have served in the Gem War, one of them got bubbled for thousands of years. 

So she probably isn't as accustomed to this atmosphere as we are and that's understandable. We each have a single job. I am the leader meaning that I take the responsibility of leading the team towards our destination.

Jasper plays the role of lookout. She watches for signs and indicators to let us know if we're going the right way or not. Last but not least, Bismuth takes the job of...well...she just watches out for oncoming cars that could poof us if we're rammed over by one.

I don't have a map, but I know where I'm going. I've to the place before quite a few times. Since I can't skip Beach City on my way over, I might as well make a visit at Greg's place, the car wash. Even though he is rich, Greg chose to live in his van anyway, the sucker.

I'm hoping that Greg survived the hurricane so I can try to convice him to give us all a lift. We can get to the train twice as fast, maybe three times. But what if the train was only there by chance? What if we have to go to a train station to get to the Kindergarten? I seriously hope not.

We trudge on the sidewalk under the beating sun and the humid atmosphere as I look forward ahead of me. Suddenly, a car speeds right past us. I cough in the gas as I notice a yellow race car growing smaller until it dissapears like it was only my imagination.

"Guys, did you see that?"  
"See what?"  
"That car. It was speeding right past us WAY above the speed limit posted here." I point at the speed limit sign ahead of me which reads as SPEED LIMIT: 45 MPH. "Amethyst, we didn't see anything. But we did hear the engine. That was loud.

"Do you think that maybe THAT could help us? We are on a chase after all."  
"Yes, but dealing with strangers isn't worth the risk. Especially those against the law." I chuckle as I stop. "Are WE not against the law?!" I turn to reproach them as they also stop in their tracks.

"No, Amethyst. YOU are." I narrow my eyes as my fingers connect to their palms. I look down as my lips quiver. I grumble my next sentence. "I'm not the one against the law." I turn away from them and we keep going until we finally step onto the border of the town.

"We're almost there, guys." A wave of guilt rushes over me for in the first five minutes, I don't see a single sign of anyone living. Only signs of people who have passed away such as shattered windows and dampened wood.

I look away from them as I turn back to the path ahead of me. I gape as I notice the yellow car parked right alongside the car wash. The car door opens as I pick up the pace of my walk. "Amethyst, slow down!" I break into a run and I pant as a man steps onto the pavement. 

He looks down at his watch before he looks around. "Where is that old man?!" He grits his teeth as he turns in my direction. His eyes lock on my figure as he smiles. 

"Hey, baby. Names' Kevin. Care to help me out? I got an important race to get to and I need to find this guy to wash my car for free." Clearly, Kevin isn't a guy to trust. But at a time like this, I need to resort to desperate measures. 

"We're trying to find the same guy. He lives in a van and I don't see it anywhere around here." Kevin scoffs, rolling his eyes. "I've noticed. So, what brings a beautiful girl such as you to a dump such as this?" He's flattering me. All guys could do that to girls. Should I play his game?

"I need a lift over to the nearest railroad tracks. I-!"  
"The railroad tracks?! What type of place is that?! Your home?!" The guys gapes and glares at me as I roll my eyes. This guy is going to be one tough customer to deal with.


	55. Stories

Kevin stares at me for what seems to be a good solid minute before I finally brake the awkward silence. "Kevin, the railroad tracks isn't my home. My home is..." I stop myself immediately. What am I doing?! This guy is a total stranger!

Why am I talking to him like he's a new friend? He's not and he never will be! "My home is far away from here. It's not around the railroad tracks." Kevin raises an eyebrow as he leans against the front door of his vehicle, slouching.

"Alright. Then WHY do you want to get over there?" He smirks as if he's got me locked down as his prey. I grit my teeth for a second before I chuckle. "I'm on the run from some cops that I encountered a few days back. I need a lift so I can jump onto the nearest train and make my getaway."

I nearly gawk at my own action. Where did THAT come from?! I made up a story without even thinking about it. How the heck do you do that?! Whatever that was, it worked. Kevin's look turns into a sly smile. He chuckles and he responds.

"What are you in trouble for? Armed robbery? Driving under the influence? Murder?" The last one became a bullet in the gem compared to the first two. I clutch my stomache as I squint my eyes which start watering as I watch another replay of Pearl's shattering and then Peridot's.

I place a hand on the car's hood as I pant with widening eyes. Sweat pours down my cheek as Kevin places his own hand on mine. I look up with wild eyes at him as he narrows his eyes. "Murder, huh? Interesting. Very interesting." 

He takes his hand off and he strides over to the front door of the car. He opens it and he beckons me in with a finger. I fold my arms as I smile to counter his. "On one condition. These two travel alongside me. All three of us need a ride over there." Kevin nods and he says. 

"Sit in the front next to me. You two bodyguards can sit in the back." Bodyguards?! What?! I nearly snicker at that. Wait. Why would I even-?! I shake my head quickly before I grip the car door handle. I pull the door open before I enter the contraption.

Everyone closes the door as Kevin starts up the engine. "It's Kevin time." With a smug smile, he lightly presses the foot on the accelerator pedal and we move forward out towards the deserted road. 

"So what do you think of this, baby? It's the Himitsuet-12. I got it for a sweet price after winning a gamble with a dealer back in Ocean Town. Pretty sweet am I right?" I attempt to ignore him as I gaze at what's ahead of us. "Aw come on now. Don't be shy. I only want to talk to you."

I bite my lip as he heads down towards the watertower. He pulls a level down and he pulls the car over to his left. He pushes the lever up as it snaps once to disable the flashing yellow arrow. "What's your story?" I look at him with a frown. "Don't you have one?"

I fold my arms as Kevin exhales. "Look, I just want us to get to know each other a little better. Don't leave me hanging." He gazes into the road as he makes another turn to his right. "Does it have something to do with this place?" I turn my head away from him as he takes a deep breath.

He inhales through his nostrils and exhales through his mouth before he resumes. "I have one. Normally I don't say this to anyone. But I don't know about you. You seem pretty trustworthy." I'm anything but trustworthy, Kevin. "I'm like this for a reason."

He turns his head to see if I'm listening. "I lived in this area for about most of my childhood. I hated it here so much." He grips the steering wheel as he grits his teeth. "My parents. They never...listened to me. Didn't you have a family?"

I sigh. "I did."  
"What were they like towards you?"  
"They were...bossy and bit out of control sometimes. But they treated me fairly."

"I was...I was ridiculed and I was criticized by the people over at the middle school about thirty years ago. One day, things went too far. There was a fight and an ugly one too. Both sides hated each other and a war broke out in which one had to kill the other."

I widen my eyes as Steven pops up in my memory. Jasper's voice echoes in my head. "When the time comes, one of you has to die. You want to take each other out for power and that's what happens in a war. Unless you come to some sort of agreement, that's the way things have to be settled."


	56. Driving

Kevin presses his foot down on the gas and we start driving on a dangerous course. Kevin gasps and he releases his foot a bit to slow the car down after lightly applying his foot on the brake first. "What happened after the fight?"

"One person died while the other went on as a..." His voice starts shaking. "As a...cursed, corrupted, deceitful monster. The side who won...the side that didn't deserve to live...continued to live. He tries every moment of everyday to put his life back together through the one thing he knows how to do."

"Racing?" Kevin's eyes glisten in the sunlight as he sniffs. "He wasn't born as Kevin. He wasn't even born with a real family!" His grip on the wheel trembles as a tear slides down his cheek. "Why did that side win? It got him nowhere. All it did was sentence him. Even his talent can't bring him back. He's gone."

I feel something touch me. "He just wanted to be-!" I look down at myself and I gasp. He looks at me and he grimaces instantly. "Oh-Oh jeez! I'M SORR-!" Without warning, I jab him across the face, causing him to steer left on a very sharp turn as Jasper and Bismuth scream. 

"AMETHYST!" Kevin's foot presses all the way down on the accelerator and the car speeds up. I look up at Kevin to see a black eye. He grunts as he closes both eyes and his mouth. I look down at my glove to see that it's covered in blood. 

I gape at it as I hear the screeching of the tires on the roadway. "Uh, AMETHYST?!" Jasper points in the road's direction. I look over to see where she's pointing. For a moment, everything stops. We aren't even on the road anymore. 

We are driving down a meadow filled with trees and bushes, spinning in a twister of chaos. "Whoops!"  
"DO SOMETHING!"  
"WHAT?!"  
"DRIVE THE CAR!" I look over at the steering wheel and then at Kevin's limp body. 

I unbuckle my seat belt before I push him up towards the window. I then move over towards the wheel as I grunt. I grip it firmly and I sit down after I hit the car door on Kevin's side. "Oof!" I look down at where my feet are. "APPLY THE BRAKE!"

There's no time! I have to steer it away from here and we need to get to the train tracks before Rose does. I steer to my right and then my left to stop the spinning. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"  
"ARE YOU NUTS?!" I grunt as I place my foot on the brake pedal. 

I grip the lever and I pull it down. I grimace as I make another sharp turn to avoid hitting a raccoon. I look over at the other controls to see something that catches my eye. There is a latch that is inscribed with the word "NITROUS" vertically. 

I raise my eyebrow as I lift the latch open with a finger to see a button. "Hmm..." I press the button and the car speeds up to such a degree, steering is impossible. I attempt to turn right only to break off the steering wheel. I glare down at it. "Really?" 

I look back up to see that we are about to hit a tree and a big one too.  
There's no way around it. I must apply the brake. I slide Kevin's foot off the accelerator and I stomp on the brake. The car abruptly stops right before it hits the tree. 

Smoke emits from the tires as I grab Kevin by his waist. "It's overheating! We need to go before this thing blows!" I swing the door open as I cough from the smoke. I ditch the car as I run as far away from it as I could with Kevin in my arms, panting with adrenaline. 

I collapse about a yard away as I hear the explosion. I grunt as I hit the ground. I look up at Jasper and Bismuth who are folding their arms staring me down. "Eheheheh. Sorry." I look behind me as a tire rolls towards us. "You had to press the button, didn't you?" 

I gulp as Jasper grabs the tire. "And you had to punch him too?"  
"He had his hand on my-!"  
"There are no excuses, Amethyst! What you did nearly cost us the mission!"

"I'm sorry! I-!"  
"No...excuses." Jasper and Bismuth start walking away from me as I look down at Kevin. "I'm sorry, Kevin." I carefully lay him down on the ground and I jog away from him to catch up with Jasper and Bismuth as I pant.


	57. Thoughts

There is one last thing for us to do now. We need to find Lapis and get her to safety. I need to apologize to her for everything and I...what would I even do after I rescue her? Should I run away with her? Should we live in the ocean together and stay there as a fusion similar to that of Malachite?

What would she do after it's all over? We've made too many mistakes and we've changed the wrong way. If only I knew. How would she think of me after what has happened? She tried fusing with me...and I crushed her gem. It's safe to assume she's in her mirror form right now.

Or is she really getting corrupted this time? Oh no. This is all my fault! Where is she? What happened to her? How can I find her? I don't know what to do! I look up with a grimace to see the railroad tracks. Nothing is active at the moment. It's dead silent.

"Well, here we are. Now what do we do?" I gulp before I grip my teeth. I really didn't think this one through! I turn towards the two giants. "We...  
wait?" I shrug as they narrow their eyes. "AMETHYST, REALLY?!"  
"CLEARLY, I CAN SEE WHY YOU WERE NEVER A LEADER TO BEGIN WITH!" 

I stomp my foot to reproach them. "I'm sorry, alright?! I'm just a defective Amethyst who can only do so much to help you guys! But all you want to do is throw me under the bus as I suffer, wasting away every erotic moment possible just so I have a will to keep on existing!"

Jasper and Bismuth stop glaring at me as I pant. They exchange solemn looks before they sigh. "What are we doing? All we wanted to do was...well, do something. Besides us, what do we have to exist for?" I look down. "Love. And action. And maybe some responsibilities to take care of."

I look away from them. "I don't get it anymore. Why are we still here, guys? What did Rose expect us to do when the war ended?" Bismuth looks up. "She...wanted us to be free. Free from the Diamond Authority. Free from heavy labor. Free from abuse...and torture. Free...from the darkness within ourselves."

I look up. "This whole thing is my fault. Because of Eloc, we lost everything. He wanted all of this happen so he can manipulate us into tearing each other apart one-by-one. But what I don't get is...if he's an all-powerful demon, then why is he wasting his time with us?"

I turn back to the railroad tracks as I place my hand on a metal pole which is the sign that would flash when the trains pass by. "Why is he doing all of this? Why am I doing all of this? Why is everything falling apart the way it is? Why? Why, Eloc?" I hear an engine in the distance.

I look both ways to see if a train is coming...but there isn't one. Yet, an engine is roaring as it's getting closer to us. I hear a gulp as well right next to me as a hand touches my shoulder. "Guys, we got a problem." I turn back to them and my heart sinks.

Nearing towards us is a van. Greg's van. But Greg isn't the one whose driving. Steven stands on top of the van with his arms folded as a fusion grimaces at the sight of me. I gawk at what's in front of me. "She didn't!" 

The van stops and Garnet swings the door open as she steps out of it.  
She slams the door shut as she glares at me. "I warned you." She places a hand on her visor to take it off, revealing three eyes. "We warned you about this!"


	58. Slaughter

Garnet puts the visor back on as she stomps towards me as she summons her gauntlets. I glare at her as Jasper and Bismuth step in front of me to encounter the fusion. "NO! GET AWAY FROM HER! IF YOU DON'T, SHE'LL SHATTER BOTH OF YOU!"

Steven snaps his fingers and Garnet jabs both Jasper and Bismuth in the chest, knocking them away at the same distance. She shoves both of them out of her way as she approaches me. 

"You shattered her! You shattered her because even though you loved her, you were given a curse that I have to undo to save the rest of us! Forgive me! This has to happen!" She slams a gauntlet down towards me as I spin dash away from her. 

I rush over towards Rose as she summons Steven's sheild. Garnet jumps on me and I break off from the speed, rolling off until she gets ahold of me. Garnet slams her hand down on my chest as she raises her gauntlet over my gem. 

"Hold still! It's over, Amethyst!" She has me right where I need to be. I need to think fast! I whip out my sword as the gauntlet lands down towards me. I slash for it and Garnet catches it before it dents the weapon. "I said HOLD STILL!" 

She releases her hand long enough for me to roll away from her. I get up as I dart towards Rose. She faces me as I yell. I jump onto the vehicle causing it to shake. I charge up my energy as it sparks in my hands. Rose takes out a thick pink sword and she points it at me.

"See the mess you've caused? Look around you. This whole thing is your FAULT!" She thrusts the sword towards me as I combat hers with my own. "Courtesy of Bismuth!" I yell as I swing my sword multiple times as she slashes hers. 

The swords cling and clash as they resonate the sounds of a thousand blows. "This isn't going to end well for you, Amethyst! You should know by now that MY sword is the superior of the two and that I'M the superior sword master! I poofed thousands of Homeworld Gems and I shattered every last one of them!"

I thrust my sword with a grunt as she parries it to catch me off guard. "You're about to meet the same fate!" I grit my teeth as I charge it up with electricity. "Oh really? Can you do THIS?!" The sword sparks as I combat it with Rose's, causing Steven's body to electrify itself.

I look away as I hear his body crackle. A tear slips out of my eye as I look back at him. "Rose, this has to stop. Please, bring him back. We want to see him again. Steven would never do such a thing even if he wanted to!" I hear something poof nearby. I turn my head to see Jasper's gem landing in Garnet's hand. I gasp. "JASPER!"

I jump away from Rose to try to rescue her. "STOP!" I just need to save her one last time-! I am grabbed by the collar of my shirt and I grunt as I get yanked back onto the van, slamming hard against the surface. I hear the gem break into pieces as tears flow out of my eyes. 

I just lost my former arch-nemises...  
and best friend. I sniff. "PLEASE DON'T SHATTER BISMUTH TOO!" I don't hear another gem break. That is it. "We're not going to break Bismuth. She's a Crystal Gem. You on the other hand, aren't one anymore." 

I clench my teeth as I launch a fist at Steven's cheek. Rose gasps as it lands, causing her to reel back. She presses a hand on the mark as she nearly collapses. She looks up at me with a death glare. "What a change of heart." I step up to her and grab her by the chest of her dress.

I thrust her towards my face and the van shakes once more. "DROP HER! NOW!" I don't turn away from her as I raise a fist. I glance down at her gem. Jasper's voice echoes in my head. "You need to promise me that you will eventually do what must to be done." I look back up at her one last time.

"AMETHYST! I SAID DROP HER!" My sword points at her gem. "A promise is a promise." I yell as I thrust the sword into the gem as Garnet screams. "NO!" I drop Steven and I slam my fist into a lake of blood which is pouring out his body. Now Steven is truly gone...and so is The Ultimate Quartz.


	59. Fulfillment

Steven's eyes stay wide open as his body shuts down from the inside. He exhales as Garnet screams from behind me. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I turn to confront her. "I killed her. What's the big deal, Garnet?!" I smirk as she clenches her teeth. "I'LL PULVERIZE YOU!"

I hear another engine. The train! I slide the sword back into its scabbard and jump off the van to dart for my escape. "OH NO! YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THIS TIME!" I pant as I race her. The train roars as it speeds by. I only have seconds to jump onto it! 

I jump with hesitation and I land in a box car. I turn to face Garnet as she also gets on. The train shakes and rumbles as she crashes onto it. "ALRIGHT, AMETHYST! THAT IS IT! THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! SHOW ME YOUR FACE AND LET'S JUST GET THIS OVER WITH! STOP FIGHTING ME!"

I pant in the box car as I grab the door handle. I slide it over until it's closed, leaving myself in darkness. I can still hear Garnet, but she's muffled. The train whistle erupts, drowning her out. I slump down towards the ground and I cover my face with my hands.

I just killed Steven for the second time. At least Rose is gone. She was seriously getting on my nerves. But now...Jasper. I tear up as I finally sob. Once again, another Gem has been shattered thanks to me. Pearl, Peridot, Jasper...will Lapis be next? And then Eyeball?! And then ME?!

It's only a matter of time. I need to find Lapis. Then I need to find Eyeball and after that, we'll need to hide. I can assume that Bismuth was bubbled again and sent right back into her previous state. A bubbled Gem. At least she can hate on Garnet now instead of Rose since she's gone.

I have fulfilled my promise to kill Rose and that is exactly what I did. At least this time, I was willing to do it. But that was only because Jasper was shattered. I detach my hands from my face as I press a hand against my forehead. I feel lightheaded. I slide the door open a bit for some air.

I sit back down and I look out outside to keep a lookout for the Kindergarten. Wait a second. Garnet has future vision. What if she knows about my agenda? What if...I feel sick. How could things have gotten so far? My stomache lurches as the train keeps rushing down the tracks.

Where did my life go so wrong? I get up and I step over to a hay bail. I lay myself down on one and I close my eyes. It's going to be a while, so I might as well sleep. The train engine dies down as I leave reality. I find myself at the barn. Huh? I wonder what I'm doing here.

Oh well. It's just a dream. I step into the barn and I see Eyeball making out with me up against the wall. Thunder rumbles outside as rain starts pouring down. I watch the session as a hand touches my shoulder. "Well done, Amethyst." I immediately turn my head to see Eloc.

His pupil stares down at me as I glare at him. "What do YOU want?" Eloc looks over at the scene taking place with a sigh. "Memories. They just come and go, don't they?" I raise my eyebrow. "What?" Eloc stays silent as he continues his viewing.

I look over to see the dream version of me and Eyeball snickering as they press their lips again. "Eventually, that's all they are. All good things must come to an end. What's interesting though is how they will end." I look down. "Eloc, why are you doing all of this?"

"Excuse me?"  
"What's the point of all this chaos? Why are you making us suffer like this? Why, Eloc? Please tell me why." Eloc looks back down at me. "That's classified. That's for me to know and for you to figure out."

"But I need answers! I just don't understand!"  
"In due time, Amethyst. You will know soon enough. However, if I were you, and you were me, I would just stop. The dominos will only keep knocking each down one after the other. It will never end until the last domino falls."  
"What are you planning?!" 

He turns away from everything. "Let's just say, it's for something big that will cause something massive to something unbreakable." He walks off. "Good day, Amethyst." That can't be it. I turn in his direction. "ELOC, WAIT!" I dash off towards him...only to fade in the light that conceals us.


	60. Humming

I lay down on the train with my coat and my shoes off. I blink as I watch the sun set over the valley. I hear humming. I raise my eyebrow and I move closer towards the edge to listen to it. 

I can tell since Garnet and I are the only ones on board, that it has to be her. She's humming a tune that I've never heard before. 

_"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm."_

I take in what she's humming as she breaks out into song.

_We are here right now._   
_Look at what you've become._   
_Is it only me?_   
_Why can't I see clearly?_

_It starts with a reason_   
_To have you cause treason._   
_It's fueled by love or hate_   
_To put you on the plate._

_Whatever the reason why_   
_It cannot be your guide._   
_You have to let go of this _   
_Change of heart._

_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._

_It turns your heart to stone._   
_You step up to your throne._   
_You don't get what's wrong._   
_You just think it's fine._

_Who is the catalyst?_   
_Could it be Amethyst?_   
_You may think that's so._   
_But I show what I know._

_Whatever the reason why_   
_It cannot be your guide._   
_You have to let go of this_   
_Change of heart._

_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._

_I sense something strong_   
_Lurking beneath your gem._   
_I fear what you've become._   
_Remember where you're from._

_Soon you will meet your_   
_Fitting fate._   
_Is it too late?_   
_For you to change yourself?_

_Whatever the reason why_   
_It cannot be your guide._   
_You have to let go of this_   
_Change of heart._

She pauses.

_"Only you can save._

_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._

_Only you can change._

_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm._

_You._

_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm._   
_Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmmm."_

I hear her sob and sniff as I look down at myself. I close my eyes as I let go of the handle. I notice something in the distance. It's a canyon with a dark atmosphere around it covered in fog. The Prime Kindergarten! Lapis!

I look up to see Garnet's foot hanging over the box car as it points to the Kindergarten. How am I going to get off this train? I grimace as the Kindergarten starts to fade. I'll need to make a run for it.

I look back at my leftover clothes one more time. I shake my head. "I'm not coming back for you this time." I turn away from them and I jump out of the car. I land on the ground and I turn my head in Garnet's direction. 

She isn't looking at me. She isn't paying any attention to me. With a sigh, I dart towards the Kindergarten. I'm coming, Lapis! I pant as the sky transitions from its sunset to the dark, foggy atmosphere of the Kindergarten. "Lapis?! Lapis, where are you?!" 

I hear a groan from nearby and I gasp as I rush over in its direction. I see Lapis lying on her back, staring up at the sky with a frown on her face. I embrace her as I pick her up by the back, bring her head towards me.

Lapis gasps as I do just that. "A-Amethyst?! No! Go away! I don't want to see you anymore! And you don't want to see me! Just-!" I bring my lips into hers and I shush her. "Shut up." I do it again and Lapis embraces me back.

She shakes her head as I pull away. "Amethyst, this isn't right. Look at us! What are we even doing with ourselves?! Don't you have a Ruby that you love just much as me?! I...I don't understand why you do the things you do, Amethyst." 

I chuckle. "Don't worry about all of that. Just worry about your safety and we'll understand each other. I can assure you that as long as we have each other by our side, then we'll be together as one.


	61. Recovery

Minutes later, Lapis has me up against a wall as we make out. "So even with a cracked gem, you can still hold me down?" She nods with narrowing eyes and a smug grin growing on her face. "So Jasper's gone?" She frowns after she says the word "gone."

I grimace as I press a free hand against my forehead with a yell. I close my eyes and I see Garnet not far from where I am. "STOP! DON'T DO IT!" I jump as I start to pull out my whip from my glowing gem. Then a hand holds me back by a collar and I get thrown away from Jasper's safety.

After that, Garnet curls up her fingers and she crushes her to bits. Jasper is shattered. I sniff and I sob back in reality as Lapis covers her mouth. "Amethyst, are you okay?" I sniff as a tear slips out of her eye. "I'm so sorry, Lapis! I tried to save her! Rose held me back and she was shattered all because she was a Homeworld Gem!"

I slam a fist charging with electricity into the wall behind me, creating a massive crack in it and a thunderous boom. Lapis looks away from me. "Amethyst, don't blame yourself. This whole thing is my fault."  
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" 

I heave through clenched teeth as Lapis gapes at my sudden outburst. "Amethyst." I fold my arms as I let go of her. "I shouldn't have come back here. If it wasn't for this, you would be the one shattered right now, not her! Unlike you, she actually cared about me! We were sisters!"

Lapis grimaces as she tries to look for a way out of my rage. I can tell she's trying to due to her looking straight at me. "Uh...I...um!" She bites her lip. "I'm sorry, Amethyst."  
"Sorry doesn't cut it, clod." Lapis gasps with a glare. "EXCUSE ME?!" I try to get up, but Lapis pulls me back down.

"Stop! Look, I couldn't be more sorry. Because of me, she's gone. But we have to move on. Is Bismuth still alive?" I groan as I nod. "Does Eyeball still exist?" I nod with somber eyes. "They're bubbled. I don't know where they went. Garnet bubbled Bismuth, but I...wait!"

"Do you know where she is?" I look around. "If I'm correct, Eyeball must be around here. It's one of the only places that I would call home. But we're not going after her just yet."  
"What?" I point at her. "Your gem needs repairing. I cracked it earlier, remember?" She grits her teeth.

"Amethyst, I don't think you should worry about that. Why don't we just-!" I grab her by the front of her tank top and I pull her towards me. "We're going to Rose's Fountain and we are going to heal both of us." 

I look towards the warp pad. "Let's go." She nods and I take her hand. I can only imagine how Eyeball would react to my new relationship with Lapis. I head over towards the warp pad and I stop at the slope which contains it. 

I turn back to Lapis. "You can't use your water wings, huh?" She shakes her head. "No. They only work with a flawless gemstone. No cracks or dents. Maybe a stain, but nothing more." I grip her hand and I turn to the slope. 

"Whatever you do, don't let go!"  
"Huh?" I jump and Lapis yells as we float in mid-air for a second before landing on the warp pad. Lapis looks down at it with eyes shining in awe. I put a hand out and we warp away. Lapis looks up with a glare "Don't do that again!"

I shrug. "What? I thought you liked that." Lapis smiles, blushing. "Heh. True." We wait in silence for what seems like an eternity even though it was probably five to ten minutes per trip. I put my hand out and we stand on the surface of a warp pad facing a familiar sight. "Well what do you know! It's Rose's Fountain!"


	62. Fountain

The fountain is still running. How did it last for so long like this? The Gems and I came to the fountain about a year or two ago to fix my gem which got cracked from an...embarrassing fall from a cliff. I gape as I step over towards its crystal clear surface.

Lapis smiles as she looks around at the lush, enchanting pink world around her. "This place looks beautiful. Why not consider staying here?" I ignore her as I look into the fountain's surface. "It looks so nice." Lapis steps into the water and she dives down for a moment. 

She pops back up moments later, facing me with normal, healed eyes. I smile. "How is it?" She raises her eyebrow. "You mean the water?" I nod. "Yeah." I blush as Lapis shrugs. "Feels fine I guess. Why-!" I pull my shirt over my head and I hurl it to the side as I wade into the water.

"Uh...Amethyst? Why did you do that?" I swim over to her. "I thought I could use a swim. Didn't I say that we should heal both of us?" Lapis grits her teeth. "I don't think this is such a good idea." I grab ahold of her and I brush her lips. "It is now."

I make out with her as the surface ripples around us. I chuckle as she splashes some water at me with a laugh. I feel something wrap around my legs and Lapis grimaces. "Amethyst, is that you doing that?" 

I stop smiling, widening my eyes as I look down. "Uh..." I bend my head down into the water to see what's down there. My eyes sting as they adjust to the water. I can barely make out the image of something. What is-?!

I feel myself getting dragged down. I bring my head back up to see Lapis getting dragged down as well. Because we're underwater, we can't say anything to each other. Even though we can breathe in here for thousands of years, I can see this as the equivalent of drowning.

I cough out some bubbles as I struggle to break free. I look up at the Rose Quartz statue on the surface. Rose points a finger at me and I abruptly shake my head the minute she does. I gasp out a torrent of bubbles. 

Did the statue actually move, or am I losing my mind from being stuck down here? Either way, I need to get-! I feel something wrap around my arms. I feel thorns digging into my skin as I grit my teeth. 

I squint my eyes and resist with every last effort not to scream or make a single sign of being in a state of anguish. My vision goes blurry as I feel more of those things wrapping around me. One constricts my neck and I cough out more bubbles. 

I breathe heavily as Lapis struggles to break from them herself. I feel one more wrapping itself around my gem. It cracks a bit from its binding even though it's in the fountain. I can feel my existence starting to come to an abrupt, horrific end.

Once the gem is gone, I'm gone. That's all there is to it. Garnet knew about this. If she didn't, would she have gone after me? I scream in the water and I cough so much, that I start to feel like a human. One that CAN drown. I need air! The thorns dig into me as I stare at Lapis. She's just as frightened as I am.

I hold my breath as I reach the bottom of the fountain. Even by doing that though, my mouth is logged with water. There is still one last thing that I can do. At this rate, it's the only solution left available. It's do or die now. 

I charge up my electricity and I look over at Lapis one final time before I release all that I've got on the fountain. I take Lapis' hand as I cough some more. The fountain is starting to burn. But we're underwater. How is any of this possible?!

I try to swim...but I can't move a muscle. I smash my lips into Lapis' to release some of the water. She willing swallows it to give me more air. My vision is so blurry, I can barely see her.

She sucks on my lips as I lose more and more conciousness by the minute. Lapis detaches her lips and she looks down at my gem with a frown. Is it all over? Did my gem crack that now I'm...I can't believe this is happening. 

Lapis embraces me as more things wrap around us. Our eyes produce invisible tears as more and more thorns dig into our forms. I smile, narrowing my eyes. "I least I get to die with you." 

Lapis isn't smiling. She's straight up panicking. She looks down and around as I shush her. "Relax, Lapis. It'll all be over soon." I'm going to die, aren't I? This is the end, isn't it? My eyes close as Lapis screams. My existence slips away as my body shuts...down...within a flash of...light.


End file.
